Ripped
by CursedRedRose
Summary: It's been a few months since Things Change but that doesn't mean there are no longer threats to the lives of the Teen Titans. When Titans start getting brutally attacked, the team suspects something sinister but who could be attempting to murder Titans? And can they be stopped? Ships include Robstar, BBRae, Flinx and Spaqua.
1. Chapter 1

_Yes, the beginning of my next story! I promised you all something dark at the end of my last one and even though it's not in this chapter it's coming, oh it's coming. Rated M for upcoming gore. Please read and enjoy!_

"Oh God, sorry Raven!"

Raven slowly opened her eyes as a slurry voice babbled on and uncomfortably warm liquid trickled down her face. She turned her head to see Kilowatt standing by her, his outstretched arm holding a red plastic cup and a terrified look on his face.

"I-I didn't mean to, I slipped and…" His neon-coloured face paled under her glare and he quickly sped off to the other side of the noisy room, just sober enough to know not to linger. Raven sighed deeply. She would never be able to get her concentration back with this level of ruckus. She stretched out one hand to retrieve a paper towel which hovered over from the kitchen in a cloud of black and she wiped away the dribbles on her face. She grimaced when she recognised the smell of beer and hoped her hair hadn't gone all sticky. Then she tossed the towel behind her and her other hand reached out for a red cup of her own as she grudgingly resolved to enjoy this party.

She still wasn't sure how Cyborg and Beast Boy had managed to get this around Robin but by the looks of things, it wasn't going to be happening again any time soon. It wasn't even midnight yet and already the place seemed out of control. Loud music was blaring, people were shouting and drinking too much and almost anything that could have been overturned had been-she still wasn't sure how somebody had managed to get Zorkaberries on the ceiling. Raven scanned the room for the meticulously-ordered leader of her team but she couldn't see him anywhere. I bet he's in another room with Starfire, she thought. That's probably the best place for him. He would have a heart attack if he saw this.

She took a sip from the red cup, finding it to be Coke not very delicately laced with vodka, and quietly observed the other Titans from her position by the window. It was strange seeing them all acting like normal teenagers at a house party given how responsible they usually had to be, though they were all still in uniform. She quickly spotted Cyborg by the giant music system he had installed himself, fiercely arguing with Herald over what to put on. Bumblebee was desperately trying to keep up with Mas y Menos who had been given Red Bull by somebody (who had yet to reveal themselves but Raven didn't want to see what Bumblebee would do to them when she did find out) and they were now crashing around the room like tornadoes and causing as much havoc as two bulls in the same tiny cramped china shop. Hotspot and Argent and embedded themselves in a corner and were making out like nobody was watching them. Raven saw him put a hand up her bell-shaped skirt and looked away. Things like this weren't uncommon-with all these people staying here, the Tower was quickly becoming a hot bed of surging teenage hormones-but that didn't mean they still didn't unsettle her a little.

Instead she looked over at the spot where their sofa had been, which had now been turned into an impromptu dance floor. Right now, the two pink-haired Titans Kole and Jinx were its only inhabitants and were both dancing together to whatever throbbing music Cyborg had put on. Kole looked like she was having fun and was giggling as she bobbed along to the beat but it was Jinx who was really getting into it, her face a mask of concentration as she moved fluidly. Raven watched her for a minute and had to admit she was a great dancer-she looked like she should be in a music video. Leaning against a wall with a beer in his hand watching her was her boyfriend Kid Flash, who practically had a string of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth like a bloodhound. Speedy was standing there and drinking with him although he seemed to be drinking more than conversing. Raven wasn't surprised. She could imagine how hard it would be trying to talk with anyone when they were so entranced like that. Ever since Jinx had moved into the Tower after the fight with the Brotherhood of Evil, Kid Flash had barely left her side and he seemed to be competing with Robin for the title of Most Over-Protective Boyfriend.

She watched as Aqualad strutted onto the dance floor and joined the girls with some choice moves of his own. She watched him with a little smile. Out of a tower filled with athletic hunky males, Aqualad was easily one of the best-looking and (as agreed by all the Titan girls at their last girl's night) he had the best ass of all of them. She noticed how Speedy suddenly seemed more interested in the dance floor and was now watching it with almost the same look on his face as Kid Flash. Has Speedy got a thing for…? Raven thought with another sip. That would explain a lot…

Her pondering was halted however, by a green figure plonking himself down next to her.

"Hey, Rae!" His loud voice rang chirpily over the music. "Enjoying the party?"

Raven looked at her teammate lounging against the wall next to her and she almost wanted to blush. The realisation that he was no longer the young boy the team had first picked up had taken a long while to creep up on her and now that it was obvious, it was becoming hard not to think about. Beast Boy was now on the very brink of manhood and it showed; he was now taller than her by a good three inches, his once skinny body was lean and toned and he was starting to get a lot more attention from members of the opposite sex. Raven remembered how often his name had come up at the last girl's night when they had been discussing the sexiest of the boys-disturbingly he had come second in Best Ass-and she remembered how much blushing she had had to cover up. Although these feelings weren't unpleasant ones, she had forced them deep within her-she knew from experience feelings and her were not a good mix. "I am," she told Beast Boy. "Though I know Robin will never let you have another one."

He laughed. "I don't know about that," he said. "I saw him run off with Starfire. I think they're glad of the cover."

They both snorted at the antics of their two friends. Ever since they had met, they had been attracted to each other and the flame had been burning steadily for so long that when they finally admitted their feelings for each other it had exploded and now they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was almost funny the way it had escalated. She was also sure Starfire had something to do with Robin agreeing to this party. He never could resist her when she looked at him in a certain way, her eyes all round like those of a small kitten.

They sat in a companionable silence for a minute before Beast Boy took a look around him. "You know, Terra would have loved this party," He said almost sadly. "I could totally imagine her dancing to this, can't you?"

Raven nodded as her heart sank a little. A few months ago they had discovered a girl who was like Terra in every way at the local high school. They had all known was her-despite her denials-but she had refused to come back and they had come to the conclusion that it was probably best to leave her alone, where she was happy. This had hit Beast Boy hard and for days all he had done was mope around silently in her old room. Now he was getting back to his old self but he still kept bringing her up. Raven could understand why, she knew Terra had been his first love, but she didn't get why she got so irked about it. It wasn't like she was jealous or anything.

"Bet she would have liked rock music." She said without thinking. Beast Boy looked at her with his mouth open and she clapped a hand over hers.

"Did you just…make a joke?" Beast Boy said, a grin quickly spreading across his face.

"I…it must have been the drink." Raven quickly stammered. "How much alcohol did people bring anyway?"

"A lot. Most of it was Speedy. I bet it was him who gave Mas y Menos that drink as well." Beast Boy answered but he was refusing to let it go. "Am I finally having an influence on you?"

She saw something shimmering in his big green eyes, the colour of jade, and suddenly all her wit seemed to have flown out of the nearest window. "Heaven forbid." She managed to say sarcastically whilst rolling her eyes and he laughed again.

"Oh Rae, what am I going to do with you?" He said with a surprisingly deep chuckle and her traitorous heart leapt again.

"You can start by not calling me Rae." She said crisply and his face fell a little. She went on staring straight ahead at the people on the dancefloor, not daring to look at him. Kole had taken the hands of both of the others and somehow had pulled them all into a demented version of ring a roses where they span around like a top until Jinx slipped on her platforms and they all ended up in a laughing heap on the floor before they pulled themselves up and started again.

"You thinking about joining them?" Beast Boy said and she frowned.

"I don't really do dancing." She said.

"Have you tried it? I bet you haven't tried it." Suddenly his old puppy-like eagerness was back and he was almost bouncing to get up. "C'mon, shall we?"

He was holding out his hand and her own hand twitched as though it longed to be held by it. She looked up at him and was about to respond when there was a loud shout from behind them and then the sound of something slamming against a wall.

They sharply turned around to see Speedy and Kid Flash rolling around on the floor, trying to drunkenly swung punches at each other and yelling loudly. Kid Flash had Speedy pinned to the ground, fury glowering in his eyes as Speedy tried to fight his way out.

"Dude, seriously, I wasn't checking out her ass!" Speedy shouted loudly as the figures on the dancefloor froze like statues of ice. "Though it is pretty nice…"

"Shut your face!" Jinx snapped in disgust as Kid Flash let out a roar and they started punching each other again. "How was that going to help? Men…"

The three of them ran over and tried to pull them apart, Jinx with her arms around her boyfriend's waist and Aqualad and Kole holding back Speedy's arms. The two of them glared at each other stonily as they flailed around trying to get at each other. Speedy grabbed a bottle and hurled it ruthlessly but, thanks to the alcohol muddling with his brain, it sailed over everyone's heads and shattered spectacularly against the wall like a glass firework.

Beast Boy and Raven had been motionless throughout the whole thing. He turned to her with concern on his face. "Do…you think we should help them?"

Raven looked around him to see Jinx was whispering something in his ear and her hand was trailing down his side. Kid Flash's face suddenly perked up as he turned away from the angry archer and they shared a sly smile. She looked up at Beast Boy with one of her own.

"I think they have it covered. Also do you know how to get Zorkaberries out of the ceiling?"

Beast Boy looked up and his eyes went wide at the still-spreading stain that was the colour of bubblegum and about the size of a mattress already.

"Oh shit! Robin's gonna kill me!"

Raven giggled. "Wait 'til he sees what that bottle left…"

 _So, what do you think? Whatever you do, please leave a review! (Did that rhyme? I didn't mean it to but hey, reviews make me write faster)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Next Chapter and the darkness is about to begin! Warning there will be a character death ahead so if you can't deal with it, don't read it. If not go ahead!_

 _ **Forgot to do this last time, Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, I can only dream.**_

Robin sat at the table in the kitchen, groggily swigging black coffee and praying the aspirin would kick in at some point. It was only mid-morning and after the party last night, there was practically no one else up but already he felt done with today. He looked down at his watch. He had to go on patrol in less than an hour and he hoped he would feel a little better when that time came. If he didn't, he knew he would deal with it though. He had a city to protect and it wouldn't wait around just because he was feeling a little worn out.

He scowled as he looked around the room. Cyborg and Beast Boy had done their best frantic last-minute tidy-up but the place still looked like a bomb had hit it, which wasn't far off given Mas y Menos had remained hyper until the early hours of the morning when they had suddenly dropped to sleep like toys that had ran out of battery. The furniture had all been righted and put back in place but there were sticky stains and bits of gravity-defying food stuck on their sides. The music system had been hastily put away but there were still some long black cables curled out on the floor like nesting snakes. Despite all the scrubbing, there was still a large faint pink splat on the ceiling and there was now a brown mark on another wall where Robin had been informed a bottle had been thrown. That had really made him cross-they were supposed to be the protectors of this city and yet two members of the team had been dangerously throwing glass around like they were in a bar room brawl. He really needed to have words with Wally and Roy. It was always hard having to tell off his best friends but they really shouldn't be acting like idiots.

Most of the stuff that they had felt too tired to clean at four in the morning had been swept into the corners and the sunlight was catching at the little fragments of brown glass on the floor, making it wink at him. He looked into another corner with a bigger heap of stuff and saw something black and lacy perched on the top. Was that Argent's? he thought, just as the door opened and his friend Wally West walked in. Unlike Robin, he wasn't fully dressed yet, wearing a white t-shirt and red shorts, and he was groaning a little as he swept his fingers through his tousled bright red hair.

"Hey Dick." He said, surprisingly brightly for this time in the morning with a sparkle in his baby blue eyes. He began looking in the fridge and started pulling random stuff out. "Is there anything good to eat in here?"

"Not unless Beast Boy's stuff counts." Robin smirked.

Kid Flash stuck out his tongue in disgust and he had to laugh before remembering why he needed to see him. "Wally, what happened last night?"

"You can't remember, huh?" he said innocently as he started to assemble some sort of giant sandwich. "It's blurry in places for me too. Still, most of it is pretty clear…"

"That isn't what I meant and you know it." Robin's eyes narrowed. "I know you and Roy got into a fight last night, a pretty serious one by the look of that wall. That just isn't acceptable Wally and you should know that."

Wally looked down at the floor and had the grace to look guilty. "Hey, he started it!" He mumbled darkly. "He shouldn't have been checking out my girlfriend!"

"Oh for God's sake." Robin felt like smashing his head into the surface of the table. The absolute last thing he needed was Jinx and Kid Flash related problems. "Are you sure it was Jinx he was looking at? You couldn't have been overreacting?"

"Jinx, Kole and Aqualad were the only ones on the dance floor," Kid Flash explained defensively. "Kole is just a little girl so frankly I'd be really worried if he started leering at her and Aqualad…well I don't know how he stands him sometimes; they're always arguing recently."

"That's not the point." Robin sighed. "Jinx is a big girl who can take care of herself perfectly well. She doesn't need you to leap into battle for her all the time."

"Well said Rob." A voice came from the door and they both turned to see Jinx standing there, her hair all loose and wavy, wearing a pink vest top and sweatpants, and with a stern look at her boyfriend, whose face had broken into a bigger grin when he saw her. "You really should listen to him more." She walked over and crossly jabbed a finger into Wally's chest. "What you did last night to Speedy was unbelievably dumb, even for you."

"What?! Oh Jinxie, how you wound me!" Kid Flash clutched his chest dramatically as he held his other hand up to his forehead. When Jinx turned away with a huff, he swooped in and grabbed her by the waist, nuzzling his head into her soft hair. "What about what I did to _you_ last night? Didn't you like that?" He whispered thickly into her ear and even though she elbowed him away, he saw that she was smiling and went in for a kiss.

"Guys, I can't deal with this this early in the morning!" Robin cut through as they broke apart. "And Wally, you really need to learn how to whisper."

Kid Flash went almost as red as his hair and he stammered a little before he said "Oh shut up Robin, I passed your room last night when you were in there with Star. From the noises you were making, the stuff you were doing was hardly PG, was it?"

Robin tried to hide his blushing by chugging the last dregs of his coffee but ended up with brown dribbles down his chin. He tried to look dignified as he wiped them away but he could tell it wasn't working. "Is anybody else up?" He asked Jinx who was trying to make her own breakfast but kept having what she needed snatched away by Kid Flash making a second sandwich. Her room was isolated right at the back of the Tower so she had to pass everybody else's rooms to get here. Anyone else would have moaned about the walk but he knew that after living with five other guys she enjoyed the privacy. Kid Flash also didn't seem to mind.

"I'm not sure." She answered. "Most people still seem to be asleep, I heard Cyborg snoring so he's definitely out for the count. Argent and Hotspot seem to have ended up in the same room-" Wally and Dick snorted at that in unison. "I didn't hear anything from Raven and I think Bee is dead to the world after running around after the twins. I did hear stirrings from Beast Boy's room though. I bet you he'll be along soon."

"Great." Robin said. "I need him to come on patrol."

"Why don't you just take one of us?" Kid Flash asked.

"Because neither of us are ready," Jinx pointed out, pouring herself some coffee. "And I'm on tomorrow night."

"Yeah, with so many of us here now, there's no need for anyone to do that. Besides, after last night he needs some sobering up." Robin said wickedly just as the green teenager walked in, dressed in stripy pyjamas bottoms and nothing else. His eyes still looked half-asleep and he was moving around stiffly like a zombie.

"Hey dudes, what's up?" He said, cracking a weak smile as he grabbed something from the fridge. "Last night was great, huh?"

"Sure was." Wally agreed and Robin shot him a look.

"You best eat that quickly Beast Boy." He said as he tucked in. "You need to be ready for patrol in forty minutes."

"What?!" Beast Boy nearly spat out his tofu and stared at him in astonishment. "What gives man, I'm not on patrol for another three days!"

"Well, it's either patrol with me this morning or cleaning the entire Tower top from bottom to get rid of every trace of last night." Beast Boy looked around the room with a guilty look, saw the underwear on one of the piles of stuff and his face visibly paled.

"Great." Robin stood up. "I'll see you at the door." He looked down at his watch. "You have thirty-eight minutes." He called back over his shoulder as he heard him groan loudly. He smiled a little as he walked back to his room to wake Starfire up. Being leader really did have its perks. Now all he needed to do was find out how to get those space berries out of the ceiling.

About an hour later, Beast Boy and Robin were making their way through the maze that was the back streets of Jump City. It wasn't the friendliest of neighbourhoods around here so both of them had their guard up. Robin had gotten a call from the police department not five minutes into their patrol and they were heading to the site that had been mentioned. The officer had sounded really shaken up, Robin thought worriedly. He hoped it was not too awful or he might regret bringing Beast Boy along. Although he pretended he was fine, Robin could tell he was still fragile over the whole Terra thing. He knew her high school was only a few streets away and he had deliberately taken a path that meant they avoided it. Reminders were the last thing Beast Boy needed.

The place they were heading for was right on the edge of the city, where there was a small cluster of old-fashioned houses, some of which hadn't been lived in for years. They saw a police car parked outside a small wooden outbuilding that looked like it could crumple over at any minute. It had a low flat roof of corrugated metal and appeared to be made of a bunch of planks quickly stacked and nailed together. The door had a giant broken padlock on the outside and it had no windows. Two police officers were taping it off with solemn faces, one even looked like she had been crying. Robin motioned Beast Boy to stay put as he walked over to the police car. He had had a bad feeling about this as they were walking over and it was getting worse, like a hand was gripping his insides and refusing to let go.

The officer was one he and the Titans knew well and they shook hands. Usually he was quite a cheery man but today his face was chalky white and he looked like he wanted to be sick. "Thank God you came quickly. This is a bad one."

"What's going on?" Robin asked cautiously looking over at the wooden building. He could smell its musty sawdust smell from here and he wandered what it was hiding.

"We got called in this morning by a neighbour," The officer said, wiping sweat from his brow. "She said the padlock on this building had been broken. Nobody owns this place, it's been abandoned for a while now and she suspected some kids had come in to wreck the place. We came in and looked inside…" He visibly shuddered. "There's a…just go and look. We're handing this over to you, we suspect it was one of your lot."

One of your lot. That meant a villain. Robin turned around and went over to the building. Beast Boy made to follow him but Robin again motioned him to stay there. He gave a sulky expression which Robin ignored as he opened the door and slipped into the building.

There was very little light inside, the only bits were small white beams sneaking in through thin gaps in the planks and it took Robin's eyes a second to adjust. When they did he looked up and his body recoiled in horror at what was there. He could feel his stomach trying to gag but the rest of him was frozen so still, it made no effect. He had seen many harrowing things but nothing like this.

The musty smell of wood was gone now and all he could smell was blood. It was so strong he felt like he was being choked by it. The floor was soaked in it, the thin layer of dust and grime marred a rich crimson. But the real horror lay above it, suspended in the air by the collar of her school uniform. The body of Terra was hanging from the ceiling, her collar pinned over a nail like she was a coat propped onto a coat hanger. Her head was lolled backwards and was being fanned by her long blonde hair as wisps of it had fluttered over her face. Her eyes were mercifully closed, never to reopen and her mouth was slightly open like she was about to speak. Robin gazed at her serene face-it looked like she was only asleep and about to wake. However, he looked down and his eyes forced themselves shut. Her body had been completely butchered. There were long red slashes across her body that were dripping red but the biggest one was a horizontal line that ran from her throat all the way down to her stomach, splitting her open. Her uniform flapped miserably next to the huge open wound as her limbs hung limply by her side, her feet pointed about four inches from the ground as she dangled there like a piece of meat.

Robin looked at the body of the girl who had once been his friend and felt a great surge of anger. This was no ordinary murder, this was revenge, revenge of the cruellest possible kind and all on a young girl who had wanted no part in the world she had been forced into. What a life you led, he said to her inwardly as he felt his hands clenching into fists, but you will be avenged, your killer will be brought to justice.

He must have let out some sort of noise as he heard people rushing to the door. "Dude? Robin, what's happening in there? Hold on, I'm coming in!"

"No Beast Boy stop!" Robin spun around and yelled but it was too late. Beast Boy had already burst in the door and seen her hanging in the middle of the room. He stopped and for a moment he just stood there, unable to register the sight of the girl he had loved in this state. His chest gasped for air as he hurled himself towards her, screaming her name.

"Terra! Terra!" He cried out as Robin blocked him and held his body in place. Beast Boy had gotten stronger and it took all his might to stop him getting any closer.

"Beast Boy this is a crime scene!" He shouted, trying to reach him in his shock and anger. "I'm sorry but we need to examine it, if we contaminate it we'll never find who did this, I'm sorry, Beast Boy please…"

"Terra! Terra…" Tears were flowing down Beast Boy's face as he grew weaker and stopped struggling. Instead he clung onto Robin and sobbed into his shoulder as Robin held him and tried to comfort him. He could still hear him weeping her name faintly, his hands gripping his cape as they stood there in the place where their old friend had lived the last moments of her short young life.


	3. Chapter 3

Raven finally turned away from the table and let out a deep sigh. She felt like she had been holding her breath for the past hour as she and Cyborg had carried out the autopsy on Terra's tiny body. She had done most of it-Cyborg had had to keep leaving the room but Raven couldn't blame him. She knew she would have done the same if she didn't feel so numb inside. She felt like her body was just automatically doing things like a robot would whilst her mind was still reeling. She could still recall how hurt she had been, how hurt they had all been by Terra's betrayal, how painful it had been to let somebody get that close and then find out they were your enemy. Honestly she had never fully forgiven Terra for that but looking down at her smooth face that now looked so innocent, it was easy to forget all that and see only the face of a little girl.

She pulled the white shroud over Terra's calm face, feeling like she should say something but finding the words clogged in her throat. She turned away, cleaned her hands and walked briskly from the harsh white room that she knew would be forever haunted by what she had just had to do. In a way, she almost felt responsible. How many times had she felt bitter when Beast Boy had mentioned her name and had silently wished that she would just disappear? And now she was gone.

Outside she found all the other Titans waiting. The four members of her team were standing closest to the door whilst the others held back from them, allowing them space to grieve. Raven realised with a start that most of them hadn't known Terra or perhaps only heard her mentioned by Beast Boy. They still looked shocked at the murder of a young girl but she could see how it had devastated her teammates. Cyborg was standing up but his huge body seemed shaky like one touch could knock him over. Both his eyes were dull and she could tell he was reliving every moment of that autopsy. Robin was next to him, trying to be the strong one but his shoulders were sagging and he appeared to be at a loss over what to do. Starfire was crying, large pearly tears pouring down her face but the only noise she made was a small whimper like a kicked puppy when Raven entered the room and they all caught a glimpse of the table veiled in white.

Beast Boy was sat a little distance from the group. Raven looked at him and could feel how destroyed he was, his emotions like a punch in her stomach. His body was slumped over almost to the point of toppling over and his glassy eyes were dripping tears straight onto the floor. She could see him trembling with the effort of keeping all his emotions in and she wanted to go over and hold him but she had a job to do first.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's definitely Terra," She said. "The DNA matched her almost instantly. And the officers were right; this wasn't any regular killing, it was planned and it was precise, more like a prolonged assassination."

Robin nodded stiffly as their fears were cemented. Raven knew they had been holding out some hope that she hadn't been targeted but now it had been confirmed.

Raven went on hurriedly in her most deadpan voice, trying to get this horrid job over and done with. "She was killed at some point last evening between the hours of six and twelve. There are several deep wounds on her torso and she suffered a lot of blood loss. The deepest one from her throat is the one that killed her."

"Would it have been…quick?" Starfire softly asked but when Raven shook her head, her body racked with a large sob and she buried her head in her hands. Robin pulled her close to him and she smothered a choking cry in his chest and for a second he looked like he wanted to break down too.

"Do you have any other DNA? Anything that might point to the killer?" he asked her.

"They were too good for that." Raven said sadly. "There's no other traces of DNA, fingerprints, anything."

"So we have nothing?" Beast Boy stood up and looked at her. There was so much pain twisted in his face, it took all she had not to break herself.

"I'm sorry but…"

"There must be something!" Beast Boy said half-angry, half-pleading with her. "There can't be nothing for us to go on… You must have missed something!"

"I didn't miss anything." Raven snapped keeping her voice under control. "I'm only here to state the facts, I'm not a miracle worker."

She regretted saying it the second she saw the sting she had made in his eyes. He looked into her face like he was really studying it and then turned away. Starfire stepped towards him and gave him a hug as he cried on her shoulder. Raven felt a strange ache in her heart like she wanted to be the one to hold him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean…"

"Shut up!" Beast Boy threw his head back and spat out. "I don't know why you'd care anyway, you _hated_ her, you didn't like her from the start! You don't care that she's dead just like you don't care about _anyone_!"

Starfire tried to put her arms around him but he shrugged them off and stormed from the room so nobody would see him crying again. Raven stared at his departing back and felt tears pricking the backs of her eyes. It was like he had physically stabbed her and a groan escaped her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut. If only he knew how much she did care, she thought as she bowed her head.

"Oh friend Raven." She heard a soft voice say as Starfire stepped over to her and wrapped her up in her arms. "Friend Beast Boy did not mean what he said. We all know how you too grieve for our lost friend Terra. We will find who was behind this."

Raven let her tears fall but she felt unworthy of Starfire's comfort. Only she knew she wasn't crying over Terra, she was crying because Beast Boy would never care for her as much as she had only just realised she cared for him.

A couple of hours later, Aqualad was perched outside on the rocks overlooking the ocean where he felt most at home. He watched its smooth surface as from this distance it barely seemed to ripple and he sighed. It was so ironic that the sea was so calm on a day when everything had turned upside down. Last night felt like it had happened last year and although he had barely known Terra, though he could remember how Beast Boy had talked of her, he still mourned for the loss of a young life cut short. Whatever she had done, nobody deserved to die like that.

He sighed again as he hunched over his knees and tried to think of something, anything else that wasn't the huge black cloud that had the Tower in its thrall. Everyone in there was acting like they were slowly waking up from a great trance, moving around slowly and glumly and making no noise, and he had had to get away from the claustrophobic atmosphere. It had felt like he was being suffocated when he was so used to being free in the waters of the ocean that couldn't block you in. He was trying to imagine that he was far away in his old home when he heard a voice behind him that he knew all too well and his face instantly went into a frown.

"Hey fish paste! Enjoying the view?"

Aqualad groaned. "Go away Speedy, I'm really not in the mood."

He didn't look around at his teammate who recently hadn't been leaving him alone. He had been acting like a limpet, constantly hanging around him and pestering him with his presence and non-stop talking. They had been bickering a lot because of it and even though Aqualad knew they were driving Bee up the wall, he couldn't stop himself being drawn into them. Speedy had that way about him; he just couldn't be ignored.

Aqualad heard no reply from him but then felt something crash down next to him. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the archer sitting next to him with an almost apologetic expression on his face. He saw Aqualad's look and held his hands up.

"Hey, I'm not trying to annoy you," he said. "You just looked depressed, that's all, I wanted to cheer you up. Sorry Garth."

Aqualad was really surprised by that. Firstly, Speedy never said sorry, even when people were really upset with him. He still hadn't apologised for the fish taco incident. Secondly, he had used his real name. Although they all knew each other's real names, they rarely got used and Speedy was never short of other names to call him. He stared at him in astonishment and Speedy looked back at him and gave a little laugh.

"If you keep your mouth open like that, flies will get in." He said with humour in his voice and he reached out a hand and gently pushed his chin upwards, closing his mouth that he hadn't realised was gaping open. Aqualad felt himself flush at the unexpected yet intimate gesture and Speedy seemed suddenly embarrassed by it as he quickly pulled his hand away. They both looked into the distance as the sun started to dip until Speedy spoke again.

"What's eating at you?"

"The same thing that's eating at everyone." Aqualad answered, unfurling his limbs so he sat up straight. "That poor girl. It's just not right-she was so young and an ex-Titan."

"I know what you mean." Speedy looked down and kicked at the ground. "It feels like we should be above that kind of thing, invincible almost. I guess we forget sometimes what a dangerous job we do."

"I know what you mean." Aqualad nodded. He then looked at him and a smile crept onto his face. "Since when did you get so deep?"

Speedy looked at him with a smile of his own. "You suggesting I'm shallow?" he said, with some of his old arrogance back.

"I'm suggesting you spend an awful lot of time in the bathroom for someone who isn't."

"Hey!" Speedy looked at him with indignation. "Just because I want to look good doesn't mean I'm not deep! I'm as deep as that big blue sea you love so much!"

"Oh really?" Aqualad's lip curled in a smirk. "Then you'll have no problem if I were to do…this!"

He shot out a hand and started ruffling Speedy's perfectly flat carroty hair like he was making a fuss of a dog. It went up in big spikes almost identical to Robin's and Speedy shrieked and wriggled in protest.

"Gerroff!" He cried out as he leapt to his feet, just out of reach of Aqualad who took one look at his new spiked hairdo and burst out laughing. He clutched his stomach as Speedy frowned and frantically started flattening it back down. "Not funny." He grumbled.

"On the contrary, I thought it was hilarious." Aqualad grinned up at him, still spluttering with laughter and Speedy smiled back.

"Well, at least you're not depressed anymore. Sadness doesn't suit you Garth." He said warmly before he coughed loudly and said "We best get back to the Tower before it gets dark and Robin blows a circuit."

He held out his hand and Aqualad took it. Speedy hauled him up quickly and with more force than he was expecting and he almost toppled into him, managing just in time to stop them both hurtling back to the ground by grabbing hold of his other arm. For a second he had been pressed against Speedy's chest and he felt how taut and rigid with muscle it was. His face went hot and as he looked at Speedy he saw a similar pink flush appear just under his mask and suddenly it seemed like they were standing way too close with their arms locked.

He hurriedly let go and stepped back, missing the little glance of disappointment Speedy gave him then quickly hid. "We should…err…be getting back."

"Yeah. Course." Speedy answered as they both turned to walk back to the Tower, their hands burning as they avoided looking each other in the eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

_Next chapter up! I'm sorry this took a while, my writing is having to be strictly limited no matter how much I don't want it to…thanks to everyone for your support, I hope you like this next instalment!_

The next day after the morning patrols, Robin called a meeting. He stood up straight in front of them all trying not to look worn down, even though they all knew the toll this had taken on him. Last night Starfire had gone on patrol with Argent and even though she had insisted that she would be safe, he had stayed up all night until she had come back home. Starfire sat in the front row, looking up at him with concern in her round green eyes. She recalled how tightly he had hugged her when she had walked back in through the door and it made her want to weep again though she doubted whether she had many tears left in her to shed.

"Right." Robin stated, rubbing at his mask. "OK, now that everyone's here we can start. Firstly, the Jump City police department has officially handed the case of Terra's murder over to us. They've made a good start with basic enquires and collecting statements but from now on, it's up to us. We are going to be the ones who get her justice."

Everyone in the room nodded. They had been expecting this to happen and now all they wanted to do was get the case solved. Robin gave Beast Boy a quick look before continuing. He was sat next to Starfire with a set look of angry resolve on his face.

"Secondly, we have to arrange her…funeral." He said. He had known he was going to have to deal with it but he hadn't imagined how hard it would be just to say it. At the moment she was still in the autopsy room with the temperature turned down low to preserve her.

Raven stood up shakily. "We've done what we can with her," She said, without looking at Beast Boy. "Cyborg and I arranged a nice plot on the mainland-"

"She is not being buried on the mainland." Beast Boy said slowly, emphasising each word as he drew himself up. "She is going on the island where her friends and her home are."

"It's not as simple as that." Raven cut back but everyone could tell she was nervous. The pair of them hadn't spoken since Beast Boy's outburst the day before and had purposely avoided each other until now, both of them stubbornly keeping to their rooms. "This island is small and covered in rocks, where could we put her?"

Beast Boy was about to retort when Robin stopped him. "We will discuss this later." He said as Starfire grabbed Beast Boy's hand and pulled him back down. He shot one last venomous glance at Raven and she looked at him longingly before she sat down.

"Anyway," he went on. "Whatever is decided, we need to have precautions. We don't know the nature of this person or why she was attacked so we have to see it as an attack on all of the Titans. From now on, nobody leaves this Tower alone and all patrols will be in pairs with no splitting up under any circumstances. Jinx, I know you were meant to be on patrol on your own tonight but now you will be with Cyborg. Understood?"

Jinx gave a firm nod to Robin and Kid Flash, who was sitting beside her, put his hand over hers. Robin turned to the others and everyone again nodded. Again this had been expected.

"OK, now we can focus on the case," Robin said. "We all know what limited evidence we have but we can still have suspects and at the moment our prime suspect is-"

"Slade!" Beast Boy growled and everybody turned to look at him. He defiantly looked back and snarled "Oh c'mon, we all know it! He clearly had a motive, she was the one who killed him in that volcano, he was doing it to get revenge!"

"Beast Boy, please." Starfire said softly, putting a comforting arm around his tense shoulders. "This yelling at your friends will not help friend Terra." He gave her a look and his features softened before he leant back in his seat and crossed his arms. Raven gave the slightest of hopeful looks towards him but he stared straight ahead at Robin.

"Well, yes, Slade is the prime suspect given what motive he has." Robin said.

"Is there anyone else Robin?" Starfire asked, trying to keep things calm whilst Beast Boy was simmering with anger next to her.

"Well, no, not at the moment given what we have…"

"Well then the meeting is concluded!" Starfire stood up and turned to everyone. "Thank you my good friends! Please be on the watch and remain hopeful for we will bring this killer to justice!"

Beast Boy strode out of the room with no hesitation like a prowling lion. Everyone else began to file out as Starfire approached Robin. "Robin you are not the well, are you?" She said gently as she took his head in her hands and her thumb stroked his cheekbone. "Please, you must rest. I know how little of the sleep you got last night."

Robin looked at her and she saw the exhaustion lined in his face. "Star, I know you're worried about me but trust me I'm fine. I have done this before." He tried to chuckle but her intense gaze stopped him.

"Robin, that is exactly what is worrying me." She pleaded. "I know how you get with cases like this, how driven you are, how you refuse to stop…please Robin, come and get some sleep now so you will be alert later."

Robin sighed. "I suppose you're right." He said with a small smile. "Will you be with me?"

Starfire smiled warmly back as she started to lead him away. "Of course."

"And you will wake me up later when Jinx and Cyborg go out on patrol, right?"

"Yes I will Robin." Starfire said as they leaned against each other and his arm went around her narrow waist. She gave a small secret smile that he didn't see as they went into her room-she knew she would do nothing of the sort.

Meanwhile Jinx and Kid Flash made their way back down the corridor with the other Titans back to their rooms. After a while, members of the crowd started to peel away back to their rooms until they were the only ones left walking along. They were holding hands and as they walked she could feel him pulling her closer and closer with each step so by the time they had reached her door he was practically leaning on her. She could feel his breath on her cheek as his lips got closer to hers and she pushed him away with a laugh.

"Not right now Wally, honestly," She giggled as she saw him pout at her. "I've not got long before I go out on patrol."

"With Cyborg?" His eyes narrowed a little. "I still don't get what you saw in that tin can man."

"Oh please," Jinx sighed and shook her head at him, prodding him firmly in the chest. "I've told you this before, I wasn't dating him I was dating his alias Stone, OK? Besides, he's like a big brother to me now."

"Alright, alright," Kid Flash held up his hands but then he took hers and pulled her in closer to him. She was about to laugh again and wriggle free until she saw the serious look on his face. "You will be alright, won't you? You won't go putting yourself in danger?"

She looked into his blue eyes that were pools of concern and she lightly kissed him. "You know I'll be fine." She said as she stepped back. "Remember I'm a big girl. You don't need to fight all my battles for me."

She pretended to punch him in the arm and he theatrically recoiled, opening his mouth and letting out a slow-motion moan. She shook her head again and laughed at his antics and his grin returned but his eyes still looked uneasy. "Still, promise me you won't do anything reckless?" He said as she opened her bedroom door and he exaggeratedly leaned against the frame. "Like race off after somebody on your own?"

"I think I'll leave the reckless behaviour to you." She smirked at him as she bent her head down so their foreheads touched. "But OK, I promise."

"Good." Reassured, he peered around her into her room before bringing his blue eyes back to hers. "So, are you gonna let me in or what?"

She hummed and stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Well…I suppose I could…" She looked down at her watch before looking at him with a suggestive eyebrow raised. "I have got some time to kill…"

When Robin woke up with a start, it took him a while to figure out where he was. His eyes seemed to scorch at the vision of pink they were confronted with and he struggled to sit up. He turned his head and saw Starfire sweetly sleeping next to him. Her long thin body was spooning his and locks of her hair had tangled across his face and clung to his sweaty brow. He brushed them off and eased himself from her arms, somehow not waking her, before he looked out of the window and saw it had gotten dark. He cursed. Starfire should have woken him up, he thought looking at her calm beautiful face and finding he couldn't be mad at her, Jinx and Cyborg will be out by now. He groaned a little as he brushed the sleep from his eyes and looked around for what had woken him up.

A light was flashing at him from the shadows on the other side of the room in tune with a pressing bleeping and he stumbled over to it, something in him sensing it was urgent. His communicator was beeping at him and as he picked it up, he saw there was a distress call. Now fully awake, he snapped it open and saw it was coming from one of the industrial estates. Who's there? He thought before he called Raven, who he could see was heading there. She picked up immediately.

"Robin there you are!" She said as soon as her face came into view. He could see the backdrop of the night sky behind her and hear the flapping of her cloak as she flew to the site. "I've called you three times, what were you doing?"

"You called me?" He checked his communicator and saw three missed calls. "Sorry, I was trying to catch up on some sleep, Star insisted." As he spoke he could see her stirring and she looked over at him with sleepy panic on her face. "What's going on, are you with someone?"

"I've got Herald with me." She turned her communicator downwards and he saw him running long the ground. He gave a wave upwards before Raven reappeared. "We're almost at the site of the signal. We've been trying to call Cyborg and Jinx but we haven't got a response yet from either of them."

Damnit! Robin thought, gritting his teeth. He heard Starfire sit up and give a little noise but he ignored her and said "Do you have any clue where they are?"

"No. Hold on we're almost there…" The screen went dark as she lowered her hand and he heard their footsteps as she landed next to Herald and they raced around the corner. He heard them suddenly stop and he gripped his communicator tightly in his hand, the bad feeling in his stomach lurching back to life.

"Raven? Herald? What is it?" He said but he got only silence in return. Then there was a low moaning noise, a fluttering of breath that seemed to be barely there, like the whisper of a ghost. Then there was a cracking noise as Raven's communicator fell to the ground as it slipped from her fingers. Then her hysterical voice came crackling through as she began making frantic panicked orders, her voice rising in volume as he heard her fall to the ground.

"Raven? Somebody answer!" Robin yelled as Starfire gave a gasp. All of the colour had gone from their faces as they shared a fearful look. Then the communicator was picked up and Herald appeared on the screen. His face held a distressed look and he was visibly trembling, his fingers clutched tight around his horn like he was about to drop it. In the background Robin could see Raven bent over something, her hands lost in the midst of her magic.

"Robin," Herald said urgently. "This is bad…really bad…get a bed ready, we'll be over in a few seconds, I'm about to make a portal…"

"What's happening?!" Robin almost shouted as Starfire ran to his side.

"It's Jinx." Herald said with a fleeting look at the dark shape slumped on the floor. "She's in an awful way man, like nothing I've ever seen before…She's still breathing but only just…She's been attacked. Whoever attacked Terra…they got her Robin. They got her."

 _Please leave a review to spur me forwards, I'll try to be quicker with the next update! Thanks!_


	5. Chapter 5

Robin ran down to the medical ward with Starfire close behind him. His heart was beating so hard he felt like it would explode as he pushed himself to run faster and his mind struggled to come to terms with what he had just heard. Another attack, another Titan…, was all he could think of, the sentence running through his mind in rhythm with his drumming heart. Please don't let her die too…

As they reached the ward, they saw Herald emerge from the door and slam it shut behind him. "Don't go in there!" He shouted, throwing out an arm to block their path as they both skidded to a halt on the shiny floor. "Raven's trying to heal her but I don't know if she can…she nearly stopped breathing on the way here and there was so much blood…God, so much blood…"

"Herald, tell me what happened!" Robin demanded as Herald sunk into a chair, still shaking. Starfire, seeing how traumatised he was, went and knelt in front of him. He looked up a little and his streaming eyes focused on her steady ones and they anchored him back to reality.

"Please, friend Herald," She urged him gently. "We need to know before…"

A sob caught in her throat as she pushed the thought from her mind. She wasn't gone, she's still here, she told herself. There was still hope. If Raven was trying to heal her, there was still hope. She watched Herald as he took a breath and started speaking.

"A little while ago, not long after the patrol started, Raven and I got the distress signal and we went to investigate, we were both on call for back-up. It was coming from one of the warehouse areas and when we got there it was really quiet, almost empty and so dark, we couldn't see a thing. Then Raven kept calling you and…we heard this noise like somebody was running away, I'm trying to remember…then we got around the corner and she was there…lying in a pool of blood with her eyes closed…I thought she was already dead…"

His voice ceased and he covered his eyes with his hands. Robin and Starfire looked at each other in dismay. "Did she have…" Robin started to ask but Herald nodded.

"She had this great big gash," He whimpered as he touched his throat and drew a line down to his navel. "All the way down her body…"

"Oh no." More tears leaked down Starfire's face as the gravity of what had just happened fully hit her. She stared at Robin as his mouth set in a grim line. This confirmed it; somebody was attacking and attempting to murder Titans. "Who could-"

"Guys!" A loud panting voice came from behind them and all three of them jumped. Cyborg ran into the room, his robotic limbs flailing as he stopped. "Guys, there was a distress signal and I can't find Jinx, she's not answering her communicator, where the heck did she go?!" He dashed out in panic as the three of them stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't kn-" Robin questioned but as he spoke, a loud scream came from the other side of the door that drowned out the rest of his words. It was a sound filled with the rawest of pain and it tore through the room, striking them all dumb. Cyborg's eyes went wide as he recognised the voice tearing at the centre of the scream and he seemed to freeze in the middle of the room. "No," He whispered as it died away and the silence deafened them. "That can't be…"

"Cyborg, what is going on?" Robin asked directly. "What happened to you? Did you get attacked, did you see who attacked her? Who was it?!"

"Yes Cyborg, who was it?!" Starfire stood up and beseeched him. Cyborg looked at them blankly before his body slumped over and his hands went to his face.

"I…I wasn't there, I-"

"You weren't there?! Where were you?!"

"Robin?" They all froze as somebody else sped into the room sending a breeze rippling through it, followed about a minute later by another figure in hot pursuit. Cyborg went pale as Robin turned around to see Kid Flash and Beast Boy standing in the doorway, both in boxers and t-shirts and looking quite alarmed. Beast Boy looked around alert whilst Kid Flash stepped forwards. "Robin, is everything OK? We were playing video games in the main room- we'll clear up later promise-and we heard this noise…" He looked at all their horrified faces and the confident look slid from his face.

"What?" He said in a more pressing tone just as another scream echoed through the room. This time it seemed to be much louder and more agonising and it lasted longer before fading away slowly then starting back up in a heart-wrenching crescendo. Robin knew there was no way they could deny who that was and turned back to his friend. "Wally…"

Kid Flash blanched as the screams washed over him. For a second that seemed to last far longer, he stood there swaying on his feet as he was forced to listen to the cries of his girlfriend. Then he was at the door, hammering on it with his fists, trying with all his might to pull it open whilst shouting her name.

"Jinx! Jinx! Jinx! Let me in, I need to see her! Jinx!"

"Wally, stop!" Robin ran over and tried to wrestle his friend away from the door but his strength was no match for his grief and Starfire had to come to his aid. They both dragged him from the door as he fought against them, still yelling. "Raven's healing her, she can't have any distractions or she will die Wally!"

They all went still as their fears were finally voiced and Kid Flash went limp in their arms. Robin could hear his ragged breathing in his ear as he glared at the door and said more calmly. "She's still alive Wally, she's still fighting. Hold onto that."

The room was still until Cyborg groaned. At the noise, Kid Flash seemed to come back to life and he whipped around to face him, his eyes narrowed. "Where were you?!" He demanded, stomping over to Cyborg and shoving him against the wall. In any other situation it would have been hilarious to see the skinny boy in yellow pushing around the giant robot man who towered head and shoulders above him but Cyborg refused to put up a fight and that only served to infuriate him more. "You should have been with her, you were meant to be protecting her, where were you?!"

"I was in the garage." Cyborg admitted with a heaving sigh. "There were some repairs that needed to be done on the T-car and I was running behind…Jinx came to see me just before we were meant to go on patrol and I told her I would be a while. She said it wouldn't be a problem, that she would make a start and I could join her later. I said it was against the rules but she told me she would go to the other side of town first, to the warehouse district because it was so quiet there…I promised to call her when I was done but I got no response and then the distress signal came through…"

"You were…making repairs?" Kid Flash sounded disgusted as he snarled through gritted teeth. "Whilst she was dying, you were making repairs?"

"Don't make it sound like that." Cyborg said scowling.

"What, don't make it sound like the truth?" Kid Flash spat back. "Don't make it sound like you didn't care at all? Because that's what it looks like to me!"

"Don't you dare tell me I don't care about her!" Cyborg snapped and they all sprang back except Kid Flash who glowered back at him with poison in his glare. He clenched his fist, as if about to fling a punch at him, and Robin stepped between them, forcing them to break their stand-off.

"Will you two listen to yourselves?" He fiercely ordered and they both averted their eyes. "This isn't some sort of contest, this is serious."

"You're right Robin." Kid Flash looked at him with fire behind his eyes. "This killer…he just made it personal."

"So it wasn't personal when Terra died, was it?" Beast Boy suddenly growled. He then stomped from the room. Starfire tried reaching out to him but he brushed her arm off and carried on without a backwards glance. Kid Flash looked after him guiltily. "That's not what I meant…"

"We know." Robin said shortly although he wasn't sure he did. "Anyway, we can't do anything for now. I'll send out Jericho and Kilowatt on patrol." He looked back at the door as the screaming subsided a little into long moans that reminded him of a wounded animal struggling in a trap. Kid Flash closed his eyes like he was trying to shut them out and tears caught on his eyelashes as he turned to the wall. "We can't do anymore for her. All we can do is wait."

Raven stumbled out of the room into an adjoining identical white room that was mercifully empty. She didn't think she could have kept herself together if she'd accidentally walked into the room that still had Terra in it. She was bent over with her arm feeling along the wall, letting it hold her up. She had never felt this weak in her life, it was like every ounce of her energy had been sucked from her and now her legs were wobbling with the effort of each uneven step. She collapsed against the wall and closed her eyes. It felt nice seeing only warm blackness and not the clinical white of the walls. Over the past few days it felt like she almost lived in this unforgiving ward. She would be perfectly happy never seeing it again when all of this was over.

It had taken all of her magic and all of her strength and more just to keep Jinx alive. At points it had only been her magic keeping her heart dully beating and that had terrified her. She had felt like she couldn't go on at some points, like she was on the verge of letting her go but then she would think about what this would do to the Tower-Jinx wasn't like Terra, somebody who had passed through and left only memories, she was an active and well-liked full member of the team with a boyfriend she was practically married to, friends who adored her…Terra's death had been destructive enough but Jinx's would be the beginning of the end.

She had left her still breathing but she knew they were not out of the woods yet. Jinx was alive but in a coma. She thankfully hadn't needed a life support machine but Raven couldn't be certain she would wake up. That was another terrifying thought; the fact that she may have not saved Jinx, only prolonged her death. She felt tears building up behind her eyes as she imagined losing one of her best friends…

As she refused to open her eyes, the image of Jinx's body on the ground outside that warehouse danced before her, mocking her. She had been mauled less than Terra-the killer had obviously had less time to play with her. They had still left their mark though; one long slash of deep red down the middle of her torso that started at her throat, ran through the middle of her breasts and down her flat stomach, ending at her belly button. There had been something different about that wound though…something she needed to tell her friends…

"Raven?" Her eyes snapped open and her heart twitched as she saw Beast Boy was standing in front of her. He was looking down at her with his head slightly tilted and worry filling his eyes. "Are you OK?"

"I'm…I'm fine." She stammered, feeling both frightened and elated at the same time. Her stomach churned as his green eyes bore into her face. Was he still mad at her? She wondered. He didn't look it.

"You don't look it." He said as he crouched down in front of her. She could see every detail of his eyes now, every fleck of colour in every hue of green imaginable. They were eyes you could so easily get lost in and she was oddly thrilled by the prospect. "If you don't mind me saying, you look awful."

She gave a laugh at that, leaning her head back before she realised he wasn't joking. "Thanks. Don't worry about me though." She told him. "I'm just tired, that's all. Healing Jinx…it took a lot out of me."

"I can imagine." Beast Boy properly sat down in front of her and his legs almost slotted into the gaps hers left, touching her but at the same time not. "She's going to be alright, isn't she? I saw Kid Flash when he heard her screaming…"

"That was…awful." Raven said, recalled how Jinx had rolled with the screams that she had had no control over, her body jerking as though her last energy was being poured into them. They stared at each other, words not doing justice to what they had seen their friends go through that night. "I hope she will be." She then said, her throat aching with holding back weeping. "She's fighting, I can feel it and she was still breathing…I've done all I can for her right now."

"Of course you have. You wouldn't do anything else for your friends." Beast Boy looked down at the floor and she could see he looked regretful. "About what I said yesterday…I'm really sorry. I never should have taken out all my anger on you, you were just doing what you had to. I know you care about people. You cared about Terra and you care about Jinx, about all of us."

He reached out and squeezed her hand and she smiled at him. "It's OK Beast Boy," She answered. "You were upset and you didn't mean it. None of us were quite ourselves." They shared a small smile for a moment before she frowned. Her head was getting heavier and she wasn't sure if she was going to have the strength to pull herself upright, let alone get back to her room yet she felt this urge to go find everyone and tell them what she had found usual about Jinx's injury. "I have to go find the other's," She said as she tried to stand up. "I need to tell them something…"

Before she was even fully standing up, her legs crumbled beneath her and she fell forwards before being caught by Beast Boy's strong arms that then pulled her upwards so he was cradling her.

"I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow." He told her as he started to walk away. "You really need to rest Raven we can't do a thing if you're this tired."

She tried to protest that she was fine but she felt too exhausted. It felt nice being in his comforting arms and she closed her eyes again as she enjoyed the beat of his footsteps. All too soon they were at her room and he was laying her down on the bed. By the time he plumped a pillow and put it under her head and drew her covers over her, she was fast asleep.

Beast Boy smiled down at her as he tucked her in. He was surprised by how little she looked in the sweeping folds of the bed, reminding him of a young child. He stroked some hair from her face and grinned when she murmured and softly smiled in her sleep. Without quite knowing why, he bent over and kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering there for longer than he had planned.

"Night Rae." He whispered, making his way out of the room before she could wake up and tell him off for using the nickname. He closed the door behind him gently and made his way back to his own. I hope she's alright, he thought as he walked down the dimly-lit corridor. How will I cope if she's not here…?

Meanwhile Kid Flash was still standing outside the door that he realised by the morning would be called the door to Jinx's room. He felt like tearing it down or punching a hole in the wall but instead he kept himself as still as possible as he waited for Robin to allow him in. His heart felt like there was broken glass lodged in it; it hurt like hell yet he was scared to do anymore to damage it further. God, how long does he need? He thought. I'm not leaving, I have to see her…

As if by willpower alone, Robin appeared from behind the door. "She's in critical condition but she's stable." He finally said and Kid Flash felt relief flood through him. "I was just speaking to Beast Boy; Raven's gone to bed and there's nothing more she can do for now. You can come in but don't stay for too long, we'll need you in the morning."

Kid Flash barely listened to him as he zoomed past and went into the room. He closed the door behind him before turning around, ready for the worst. Even though he had known it would be bad, he was still shocked by what he saw. Jinx was lying on her back on the bed, a starched white blanket covering her up to the chest. Somebody, probably Raven he thought, had spared her dignity by taking off her torn bloodied dress and putting her in a hospital gown. Her eyes were closed and her expression was blank. The horns that her hair had been pinned up into now flopped forlornly on the pillow, the once vibrant neon colour now looking duller and darker in the white room. Her skin also looked greyer like she had been carved out of stone. Her choker had been broken in the assault and the shards of it lay on a little table next to the bed. Patterned on her neck now was a red line with dried blood around it like lace that trailed down her chest and disappeared into the hospital gown. He dropped into the chair that had been placed by the side of the bed ready for him and his first instinct was the grab her hand and check for a pulse. When he felt the light beat under her skin like the pattering of rain on a roof he let out a deep sigh of relief as he felt tears flow down his face.

"Jinx…" He whispered to her as he lay his head down on the pillow next to hers. He watched her face intently for any flickers of movement, any signs of life other than her shallow breaths but none came. "You have to be OK…you can't leave me like this, not now, we still have so much to do, we have to spent our whole lives together, you can't leave…"

He was certain she could hear him. He felt hopeless sitting there unable to reach her but he wasn't going to give up on her. "I'm not going away Jinx," He said in almost his old voice. "You know how stubborn I can be. I'll be right here…" He leaned over so his face was almost touching hers.

"I love you." He whispered in a voice so low and private only she could hear. His fingers linked with hers as his eyelids became heavy and he sank into the tiredness that overwhelmed him.

When the others came in in the morning they found him still like that, his body stretched uncomfortably from the chair to the bed, tears dried on his face and still holding her hand tightly like he would never let it go.

 _See, I'm not that cruel! Thanks for all the reviews so far-this chapter ended up longer than I thought it was and consider it a thank you. Please leave more, I do love feedback!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Whoa! This chapter went completely crazy and ran away with me for a bit! It's mad how this is starting to end up! Please read and let me know what you think of it! Enjoy!_

"So what you are saying is," Robin asked seriously. "Is that this was a rush job?"

"Precisely." Raven nodded. She was sat in the main room with all the eyes of the Titans on her as she explained what she had discovered on Jinx's wounds. She sneaked a quick look over at Beast Boy who gave her an encouraging smile and she returned it briefly so it appeared to skim across her face and left her cheeks glowing faintly pink. She was feeling refreshed and more alive than she had been in days despite the fact that she had spent almost the entire morning at the site of the last attack gathering more evidence. Even though she was on a high at Beast Boy no longer being angry with her, as she looked around the room she could feel her mood waning as a gloom had set over the inhabitants of the Tower, just as she had predicted. All of them were in a sense of bewildered shock and she had had to keep her smiles to herself whenever Beast Boy looked over at her. I won't think it, I refuse to think it, she had forced her daydreaming down into the depths of her mind. You have a job to do, you won't say you're in…

"Jinx was clearly targeted the same way Terra was. This was no random assault on a random Titan. They knew when she was on patrol and they followed her to a quiet spot. Then her attacker was interrupted by the arrival of me and Herald," She heard herself saying, thankful she didn't have to say her killer. "That's the only reason she is still alive. As a result, they didn't get a chance to cover up their tracks and this is what I found."

She drew some photos out from under her cloak and for a second they all looked over at the spot where Kid Flash would usually have been sitting with Jinx close by. He had been in a terrible state that morning, having to almost be manhandled from Jinx's bedside. He had been told to go and rest by Robin and he had done but only for an hour before he had emerged from his room and demanded to do something. Right now he was out on patrol, everyone thinking it would be better if he was away from the Tower and doing something proactive. So far he hadn't even looked at Cyborg, turning away from him whenever he entered the room. Cyborg was currently sitting between Robin and Beast Boy with a face set like stone as he listened. Raven could feel the guilt radiating from him; it mingled with a cocktail of other powerful emotions in the room but was still the strongest. She put the photos down on the table and passed them towards Robin.

"The most noticeable difference is that there is only one major wound," She said. "But when I looked closely, there's something else there. See it?" She pointed as Robin squinted at the picture. Cyborg looked over his shoulder and then looked away. It felt sickening, examining these pictures like they were looking at a slab of meat instead of somebody they knew. Robin and Raven didn't look unnerved though, he noticed. They were sadly all too used to it.

"Are those…ridges?" Robin said as he scanned the picture. On the edges of the wound, he could see wavy marks in the skin that he had never seen before.

"They are finger marks." Raven explained. "Those bits were made by the attacker's hands. They obviously didn't get the chance to remove them like they did with Terra."

"Hold on," Beast Boy said, waving the pictures away so he didn't have to look at them anymore. "Finger marks? Are you saying she was…?"

"Ripped open. Yes." Raven said, bowing her head as everyone gasped and looked around the table at each other in sick horror. "I wish it wasn't true but…yes."

"God, what the fuck are we dealing with here?!" Speedy growled. "This is barbaric!"

"It's inhuman!" Aqualad quickly agreed and Speedy gave him a look of pleased surprise.

"This thing isn't human." Raven spoke up and they all turned back to look at her. "There are finger marks but no prints or DNA. There wouldn't have been any time to get rid of them so they can't have been there in the first place."

"No DNA at all?" Even Robin's unshakable demeanour had been badly ruffled and he stared at her stunned. "But what would that make them?"

"I don't know; I haven't got anything else to go on." Raven told him. "There was only one more thing and, to be honest, I'm not even sure if it is something at all. It's just…when I was healing Jinx I got this feeling…I can't think of a way to describe it but there was something there that was…familiar, like I had sensed it before but a lot more strongly..." She could feel everyone's confused gazes on her and she wished she hadn't mentioned it. "I know it sounds stupid but…"

"No, no, it could be useful." Robin said.

"Yeah Raven," Beast Boy piped up, giving her another one of his comforting glances that she lapped up like water. "Don't feel like that, you were right to tell us. Right Robin?"

"Right." Robin affirmed as his fingers crossed into each other and he rested his head on them in thought. "Believe me, right now we need all the help we can get."

A little while later, Speedy found himself wandering aimlessly around the corridors of the Tower. After that meeting, he really needed to clear his head. It felt like the information they had just received was buzzing around in his brain like sickening moths around a lightbulb and there was a big part of him that wished he hadn't heard it. Everyone was already suffering so much that it didn't seem fair for this to be dumped on them as well. God, what is happening to us? He thought crossly as he swiped his bow at the ground, the tip only just skimming above it and avoiding possible damage.

He swept around a corner angrily like a gust of strong wind but stopped suddenly when he saw he wasn't alone in this long stretch of hallway. Aqualad was standing about ten feet away from him staring downwards out of the tall window in front of him. He didn't move so Speedy assumed he hadn't seen him and he took the moment to let his eyes bask in him. He looked so amazing standing there with the morning sunlight catching on his skin, making it glow, and shining on his jet-black hair. His body looked so toned in his tight blue and black uniform and his ass could have belonged to an Ancient Greek sculpture of a god. Speedy could feel a groan rising in his chest and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself being heard. He felt a pang in his heart, like he had just shot one of his own arrows into it with shameless accuracy. Of all the people he could have fallen for, he thought cursing himself, why did it have to be him?

Speedy wasn't sure when he had started having these kind of thoughts about one of his closest friends and teammates. It felt like one day a cover had been lifted from his eyes and he had almost been blown away by how strong his attraction was. In a way it shouldn't have been a surprise-he had known for a while he swung both ways-but to find himself like this, palms sweating and heart racing whenever he was there like a teenage girl with her first crush, it felt so unlike him. Usually when it came to things like this he was the one in control and running the show. He had never been so powerless and that both excited and terrified him to the core.

He had tried hanging around him a lot more in an attempt to get into his head. It had seemed like a good idea but all it had resulted in was a lot of bickering, Bee yelling at them about how they were worse than Mas y Menos and the twins themselves giggling behind her back as they got told off. It had been a disaster and he was sure he had blown his chances for sure until that evening by the sea when Aqualad had laughed with him and held him tightly…even if it had been an accident, Speedy had seen the warm colour on his face. That had given him hope, more hope than he thought he could bear and the last thing he wanted was for it to go down in flames.

He was about to turn around and walk away when Aqualad spoke in a low tone without turning his head.

"Hey Speedy."

Speedy almost fell backwards trying to look calm and collected. He proceeded to walk over to him with his usual swagger. "What's up fish sticks?" He said breezily. "What are you looking at? Any sweet babes trying to get a tan?"

Aqualad pointed down at the ground with a solemn look. Speedy peered out and instantly felt like he had been pummelled in the gut. Beast Boy and Raven were walking around the island in deep conversation though they were so high up they couldn't hear what was being said. They were both pointing at various rocks and Raven was using her powers to move them around easily as if they were children's building blocks.

"They're clearing a space for Terra." Aqualad said in a voice that was just above a whisper. Speedy looked at him and saw he had bent his head forwards so his forehead was against the cold glass. "Beast Boy managed to persuade everyone and Raven was willing to help him. If they have to clear a space for a second plot…"

"Oh Garth…" Speedy gulped a little before he put his hand on his shoulder and forced him to meet his eyes. "That won't happen. Jinx will be OK, we all will be."

"How can you promise that?" Aqualad said, his dark eyes staring into Speedy's. "How can you be so sure?"

Speedy was about to give a confident response but upon looking into his face, he faltered. "I don't know." He admitted as he moved his arm further across his shoulders so he was a step away from hugging him. He could feel Aqualad leaning into the soothing response, along with the stretch of his shoulders and every movement he made and he had to force himself to dwell on the issue at hand. "All I know is that we can't give up on us, that's all. This bastard will pay for his actions, I assure you."

Aqualad gave him an almost smile but he still didn't look convinced as his gaze returned to the window. "Seeing Beast Boy and Kid Flash so in pain…it really made me think." He murmured. "I can't imagine being so attached to someone that almost losing them would destroy you."

"I could." Speedy said, the words slipping out before he could get control of them. The air around them seemed to turn to jelly as Aqualad slowly turned back to face him. The distance between them had never seemed so small.

"You could?" He asked, almost laughing as if he could barely believe what he was hearing. "You? With who?"

"Umm…" Speedy couldn't take it anymore. As his brain whirred to try and find an answer, any answer that could get him out of this mess with his heart unscathed, his body was telling him to do something rather different. He leaned forwards, cutting off any further questions by pressing his lips against his. He kept them there for a few seconds, feeling the softness of Aqualad's mouth against his own before he drew back a little so their faces were inches apart.

For a few moments there was silence. Speedy's breath quickened as the Atlantian stared into his eyes. He felt almost giddy, like he could feel the blood rushing through his head and he feared he had made a fatal mistake.

"Garth, I-" He went to say something but was stopped by Aqualad's lips crashing back into his. Speedy almost pulled back in surprise but then he warmed into the kiss as he put his other arm around him and swept him into a tight embrace. Every emotion they had poured into that kiss as Aqualad nibbled on his bottom lip like a little fish and Speedy stroked a hand down his side and stopped at his arse. Aqualad moaned as he clutched it and they were both forced to break apart for air.

They stood like that panting for a minute with their foreheads still against each other. Speedy darted a glance up and down the corridor but no one else was there.

"Oh my God, I…" Speedy gasped out between breaths and Aqualad laughed at him, gently putting his finger to his lips to stop him spluttering.

"How long have you wanted to do that?" He said with a grin.

"For far too long." Speedy answered. "Why do you think I've been annoying you for so long?"

Aqualad rolled his eyes. "Of course how could I have failed to notice those brilliant seductions?"

"Hey!" Speedy cried out. "It had never been like this before…there was so much more on the line…"

"Is that a fish pun?"

"No! Oh shit, this is not how I imagined this would go…"

"It's OK." Aqualad rested a hand on his face and the butterflies in both their stomachs went into overdrive as they shared a look. "I kind of like nervous Speedy."

"You do?" He asked and when Aqualad nodded he gave a small grin. "Now, erm…shouldn't we take this out of the corridor?"

He looked around again and noticed a door a little way from them that he knew lead to the laundry cupboard and he grinned wickedly. Aqualad looked around to see what he was grinning at before giving almost the same reaction.

They edged over to the cupboard without letting go of each other so they moved almost like crabs with big side-steps. When they got in the cupboard, the darkness swamped them suddenly and Speedy almost jumped at how quickly it went black. He heard Aqualad laugh and was then glad of it so he didn't see how crimson his face got.

"You're not scared of the dark are you?" He asked lightly and Speedy felt a hand cup his chin.

"Course not. Why, do you need me to hold you?" He grinned as he let himself be sucked into another kiss, this one even more passionate as if their new-found seclusion was spurring them on. Speedy balled his hand into Aqualad's smooth dark hair as he felt the other boy press him hungrily against the wall. I never knew he was so dominant, he thought. Nor did I know how good this would feel…

Small moans escaped them as they strained at each other. They were so engulfed in the kiss that they didn't notice the door opening until the light hit them in the eyes, making them blink crazily. They hurriedly broke the kiss but their tangled limbs acted as if separate from the rest of them and froze around each other. They stared at the entrance to the cupboard as Starfire stood there in a state of wide-eyed confusion.

"Umm…friends?" she said, her green eyes struggling with the image of her two constantly arguing teammates wrapped around each other like that. "Is everything…"

She didn't finish her sentence as both of them blurted out the same thing at the same time.

"Don't tell Robin!"

Kid Flash was sat by Jinx's bedside again even though he knew he really wasn't supposed to be. His friends had been telling him it wasn't good for him or her if he stayed with her all the time but he had been out on patrol almost the entire day and he had to see her. It was crazy, he thought as he stroked his thumb up and down her motionless hand, how a year before he hadn't known she existed and now he couldn't imagine living without her. He knew why his friends were doing this, they were preparing him for if she didn't wake up yet that possibility had never even ran through his mind. He knew her better than anyone else and he knew that she would fight for her life. She was one of the strongest people he had ever met.

He had asked her once late one night why she had kept on going, after she had told him the story of her horrendous upbringing. "What on Earth in you kept you going? Anyone else would have just given up." He had said amazed as they had laid there next to each other with only the moon peeping through the window listening to their conversation.

"I don't know. I suppose I was looking for a reason to keep going." She had said as her hand had found his among the bedclothes. "I was looking for some sort of a purpose and I stumbled into a lot of the wrong places looking for it. But…I don't have to look anymore." She had smiled at him and it felt like the world had done a backflip.

"I love you."

She had said those words to him then for the first time and now he whispered it to her like they were in a fairy tale and those would be the magic words to break the spell she was under. He looked at his sleeping beauty through blurry eyes; her hair had been taken out and was now spread out over the pillow like pink satin, her wound had been cleaned and reduced to a thin red line like a red pencil, her lips just parted as if expecting a kiss. He longed to kiss her but was scared that her lips would be cold and lifeless like kissing a statue on a tomb. He had to content himself with holding her hand and talking to her, hoping that it would lead her back.

He heard the door open and close behind him and he recognised the heavy footsteps easily. He didn't turn around and he scowled as Cyborg took a few steps towards the bed.

"Hey." He said hesitantly with the tone of someone approaching a growling tiger.

"Hey." He grunted back, still not looking at him.

"You know you're not supposed to be here." Cyborg said but there was no sense of warning in his voice.

"You gonna kick me out?" Kid Flash said shortly, daring to glare at him over his shoulder. He saw how Cyborg was looking down at Jinx's face and he felt his resolve soften a little. Cyborg held the look of a crushed, defeated man and even though he was still angry, he couldn't help feeling some pity for him as well.

He didn't object when Cyborg pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed and pulled the covers a little higher up so more of her wound was hidden from view. There was silence for a few moments until he finally said "I should have been there. I should have taken that-"

"They wouldn't have gone for you," Kid Flash found himself saying, his words filled with less anger than he had thought. When Cyborg looked at him astounded he explained "Robin told me she was deliberately targeted. She was already marked."

"But if I had been there-"

"Then they would have found some way to get you away from her." Kid Flash cut him off again. "From the sounds of whoever this is, they wouldn't have been stopped by that. I should've been there."

"Why you?" Cyborg questioned him.

"Because…" Kid Flash screwed up his face before sighing. "When I first met her, that night at the museum, I remember what she said about people coming after her and I told her to let me worry about them…I was the one who was meant to protect her and I didn't."

"Flash, seriously what else could you have done?" Cyborg told him firmly. "We both know what she's like, she's like a little sister to me. Even if we had known she was the next target she would have gone out there anyway, she wouldn't have stood being cooped up. She's way too independent and stubborn for that. What matters now is that whoever did this to her is stopped before anyone else suffers."

Kid Flash sat there quietly for a moment as he let what he said sink in before he said softly "Yeah, you're right." They continued to sit in silence as Cyborg took her other hand in his large robotic one. Kid Flash saw him but didn't say anything.

Cyborg looked back at the line on her neck like a red choker with fury. "I hate seeing that there," He spat out. "Knowing that they had to put their hands there… I mean what could have had the strength…"

"Their hands…" Kid Flash repeated numbly before slightly frowning in thought. Suddenly he snapped his head around to look at Cyborg then looked down at his hand on the sheets. "Their hands, oh my God, their hands! Cyborg, don't you see it?"

"See what?" Cyborg looked at him as he shot up and started almost jumping around the room. "See what Flash?"

"Why there was no DNA or finger prints!" Kid Flash stood agitated in the middle of the room, waving his arms like he was directing air traffic. "There were none to begin with because they didn't have human hands, they were robotic! What else would have the strength but a robot?!"


	7. Chapter 7

"A robot?" Beast Boy stared at the two of them with querying green eyes, before he turned to Raven who was standing next to him. The two of them were the first Titans Cyborg and Kid Flash had run into as they had bolted to spread the news of their suspicions as they had just returned from digging a burial spot for Terra. Although he had allowed Raven to use her magic to clear the rocks, Beast Boy had insisted on being the one to manually dig it and his face was now smeared with the dirt to prove it. Raven had watched him wordlessly as he had caked himself in brown, determinedly digging the hole, and it had made her admire him even more. Plus, it hadn't hurt her to watch, especially when he had taken off his shirt.

"Raven, could that be true?"

"It could be." She said pondering the little evidence they had and shaking the other image from her mind. "It would explain why there were no fingerprints and the whole thing about strength."

"And it would still fit Slade!" Beast Boy perked up, reinfused with energy.

"Yes…but why would Slade go after Jinx?" Raven asked. "We know she was targeted but even though they were on the same side Slade had nothing to do with the HIVE."

"And she definitely had nothing to do with him." Kid Flash quickly put in to defend his girlfriend.

"So what we're looking for is some sort of connection between Terra and Jinx?" Cyborg asked. "I don't think the pair of them ever even met."

"That's not the only thing." Raven said and they all turned to look at her. "I've been thinking really hard on that feeling I sensed on Jinx and I have a suspicion about what it could be…but none of you will like it."

"Does that really matter right now? Tell us!" Kid Flash urged her and Beast Boy took a short step between them.

"Hey, calm down. She'll say when she's ready." He said firmly before turning back to her. He was unable to mask the worry in his face and she felt a flutter of panic in her stomach at what she was about to say. She didn't think she would ever be ready.

"I think…the reason I recognised it is because it was magic." She replied, her voice stilted. "Dark magic. There wasn't much, barely any at all, but there was enough for me to realise it was there."

"Shit!" Cyborg ran his hand over his head as he swore loudly.

"So does that get rid of the robot idea?" Kid Flash asked her as Beast Boy gave her a worried look and bit his lip. If there's any dark magic about, he thought, will it affect her? Will she be alright? I don't want her to get hurt…

Raven sighed. "I wish I had all these answers but I just don't. Dark magic isn't picky so anything is a possibility. That's probably why we couldn't get anything from Terra's body, it would have taken care of all of that."

"What would take care of what?" They all jumped, apart from Raven, as Robin appeared behind them as suddenly as if he had teleported. He looked around bemused at them all as the guys sprang away from him.

"For God's sake Dick, I've told you not to sneak around like that!" Kid Flash said whilst exaggeratedly gripping his chest. "You're going to give me a heart attack one day!"

"Sorry, I'm too used to it." Robin said, trying to hide how funny he found their reaction but not doing it very well. Raven also couldn't help giggling. "Too much time around Batman…anyway what were you talking about?"

"Raven's figured out what that weird thing she sensed with Jinx was!" Cyborg said. "It's dark magic!"

"It could be dark magic." Raven corrected him after seeing the alarm on Robin's face. "Kid Flash also suggested that it could be a robot. Both would explain why there was no DNA."

"And both would make sense." Robin said, growing serious again like he usually was. "They would each be strong enough, right?"

They all nodded grimly and they could see him mulling it over in his mind. "OK, I'm thinking." He finally said. "Raven, do you think whoever is behind this is still at the warehouses?"

"Possibly." She answered truthfully. "They are likely to be where their next target is and we have no clue who that could be."

"Yeah, we don't know what the link between Terra and Jinx is or whether there is one." Beast Boy pointed out. "It could be anyone."

"Anyone, hey?" Robin said and a crafty grin spread from under his mask. "Then we'll just have to bring them everyone! If we all go to the warehouses and attack at the same time, there is no way they can fight back against all of us!"

"Of course!" Cyborg said almost gleeful at the prospect. "If the dude's so cowardly he only goes after us one at a time, all of us will be able to beat him easily!"

"And with pleasure!" Kid Flash and Beast Boy added at the same time. Beast Boy opened his mouth about to shout but a look from Kid Flash and a subtle "Don't you dare." made him shut it quickly.

"OK get everyone to assemble in the living room." Robin ordered. "We'll attack tonight before anyone else can get hurt."

"Got it!" Cyborg affirmed as they all split off. Robin was about to head after them when he saw Starfire walking down the corridor towards him. She appeared to be in a muddled daze and only noticed him when he called out to her. "Err…Starfire? You OK?"

"Robin!" Snapping out of it suddenly, she ran towards him and embraced him in one of her tight hugs. "Yes I am indeed fine, everything is fine!" Her voice went into an unnaturally high pitch as she remembered what Speedy and Aqualad had made her promise not to say but that made it even harder for her not to blurt it out. She and Robin never kept secrets from each other, they both knew that trust was key in their relationship and it felt wrong to keep it from him but the way they had looked when she had found them in that closet...

"Are you sure?" He asked her as he kissed her softly on the cheek. "You look preoccupied."

"I am just very worried." She told him and she wasn't lying-everyone in the Tower was worried.

"I know." She felt him pull her closer with one arm and she leant into him, her height advantage meaning she had to bend her knees a little. He smelt of the training room and hair gel. "But hopefully this will all be resolved tonight and this can all be put to rest."

"What do you mean Robin?" She drew her head back so she could see his mask. She tried to read it but he had always been a closed book even for her sometimes.

"Tonight, we're all attacking the warehouse district where Jinx was found." He explained to her. "The killer will be no match for all of us at the same time."

"Then they can be brought to the justice!" Starfire nodded.

"Yeah, then we can all feel safe again." She felt his hand running through her hair and she almost wanted to purr. "Y'know, I never thought I would miss those crazy villains like Dr Light or Mad Mod. At least you knew exactly who they were."

"I get what you mean." She replied, sinking her own slender fingers into his spiky black mop as they stood there, enjoying the closeness of each other. "It was so much simpler then, back when there was just the five of us living in the Tower."

"Simpler doesn't necessarily mean better." Robin murmured. "I didn't have you as my girlfriend then, did I? I would rather have you and a million complexities than an easy life without."

"Oh Robin." She whispered as he kissed her again, his lips soft and warm. "We will be OK after this, won't we? I'm scared for us…"

"Don't be, as leader that's my job." Robin said softly. "And the last person in the world I'm going to let get hurt is you."

"I know." She smiled at him as their other hands snaked into each other. "I have your back and you have mine."

He smiled back and trailed kisses down her jawline, soft pecks that still made her stomach flip no matter how many he gave her. "You and me, 'til the end of time Star. Always."

A few hours later, Robin was crouching in the shadows of a large building, feeling the cold metal biting at his back despite the numb feeling he had in the rest of his body. Raindrops were dripping down his face and some dribbled over his mask, making the world go murky, but he still remained stock-still, clenching his teeth so he didn't shiver. He must have spent entire months of his life like this living under Batman and oddly enough, the feeling was almost nostalgic. He flicked open his communicator and lowly muttered into it.

"Everyone in position?"

"We're all good to go Robin." Cyborg briskly told him. "I can see all of us on the heat scanners. The rain is messing with the signal a little so some of you are clearer than others but it won't pose a problem."

"Maybe some of us are just hotter than others." Beast Boy added and Robin heard a few groans over the system.

"Try to keep focused here." He snapped irritated; this was really the last thing he needed. "Remember everyone, keep the two people either side of you in sight at all times. Nobody goes it alone. If you can't see anybody, press the distress signal. Take no chances, we are not losing anymore of you."

"Got it." Over a dozen voices echoed back to him and he closed it, almost with a prayer. This could all end tonight, he thought with a shudder that had nothing to do with the rain. Think of that, it could all be over.

He stood up and made sure he could see Argent and Bumblebee either side of him before he moved out. They looked at him and nodded before they moved out as well. He stared out into the shadows and tried to remember who Starfire was with, he thought it was Kid Flash and Jericho. He almost wanted to look out and see her red hair flying like a flag amongst the pattering rain but above all he wanted her safe. Anything could happen to him as long as she was safe.

He dived further along the wall, letting the darkness be his cape as he moved without a sound. The whole place seemed to be encased in black and at times he struggled to see anyone unless they moved. He was guided by the golden flash of Bumblebee's stingers and the small bursts of red from Argent and as they got further and further into the maze of identical-looking warehouses he felt like the night air was almost closing in on them, breathing down his neck like a predator.

He looked up at the moonless sky and cursed under his breath. The one night I actually wanted there to be some moonlight… he thought before he heard a crashing noise coming from his right. He turned sharply to face it but there was nothing there.

"Argent? Bee? Did you hear that?" He hissed but there was no answer. He looked around but he couldn't see them or any other signs of life. The shadows loomed out at him as he realised he was alone.

Damn it! He thought as he searched around. I swear they were here a second ago… He made to run but another sound, much lower and louder, came from the darkness behind him and sent a chill through his body. He grabbed his communicator to try and see where he was but the screen was fuzzy and buzzed loudly when he repeatedly smacked the distress button.

"What? I thought Cyborg said…" He muttered aloud before he realised it was no longer raining but he could still hear it.

Suddenly the darkness around him started to swirl around him like he was in the middle of a tornado. He again tried to run but his limbs felt heavy as lead and he couldn't move them. They then clamped to his sides and he felt himself being yanked into the air though he couldn't see by what. He strained and strained against the invisible bounds, calling out for help but he heard no response. The blackness around him started to spin faster and faster and he heard a set of heavy clunking footsteps walking towards him from behind followed by a delighted low hiss that made his skin crawl.

"The leader." The dark voice purred as he heard it get closer. "The very cream of the crop. How very perfect."

"Enough with the niceties!" Another much harsher voice spat out. "I can feel it burning in him…oh, this one is powerful."

"It's such a shame really…" The first voice drawled right behind Robin. "He could have been so useful on our side…but you must feed master."

"Yes. I must." The second voice growled and as he spoke Robin felt a great pain spike in his throat.

"Argh!" He tried to scream but a hand pulled over his mouth and held it shut.

"Now, now." He heard it say right in his ear as he tried to squirm away from it. "Yelling will only make it worse for you…"

Robin's body jerked in pain as his muffled cries only appeared to delight his captor. A searing pain was spreading down his body from his throat which got worse as his skin violently tore. He felt warmth pouring down his front like he was in a shower and he realised it was his own blood.

"Yes…yes," The darker voice rumbled like thunder in his ear and his voice felt like it entered his skull. "Stronger…stronger…"

Robin yelled in agony as the hand left his mouth and roamed down his body, reaching for the wound that he already knew was a perfect match to the ones he had seen on Jinx and Terra. His chest was pulled apart and his vision started to go blurry as his lungs heaved fruitlessly for air. He was going to die here, he thought. He was going to die with this mad laughter ringing in his ears…

"Robin!"

A voice cut through the pain and he felt the hands withdraw as he flopped to the floor. He tried to get up but he didn't have the strength to even look around.

"But we have not finished here Master…"

"Go! We shall not get caught…"

"Robin!"

"Go!"

The black stopped whirling around him and he felt rain on his face again, the drops gentle on his face like kisses. He gasped out as he felt his body convulse again then go very still. Blood was still oozing from him, its bright red shocking against the watery pavement. He had never felt this weak before, so weak he could barely keep his eyes open as everything around him started to fade to white. He heard more voices calling out to him in a great fog of shouting and panic but he felt distant from it even as two strong arms picked him up from the ground. Then one voice, the same heavenly voice as before was back in his ear calling to him.

"Robin! Stay with us Robin! Don't go, I am here, I have your back!"

He kept his eyes open for a few seconds longer as he looked up into the face of an angel, an angel with red hair, green eyes and tears on her cheeks like diamonds as she held his face in her hands.

"Starfire…"

 _Oh the plot thickens! I love it! Please leave a review it will help this story get finished quicker!_


	8. Chapter 8

This couldn't be happening. That was all Raven could think as she stared at the twitching body of their leader as he lay almost lifeless in Cyborg's arms. He was trying to shake him awake, yelling hysterically whilst Starfire was crying, silently begging him not to go and holding his eyes with her own like that was the only link they had left keeping him with them. Everyone else around them was either deathly quiet and pale or frantic and shrieking. Nobody saw how she was trembling under her cloak.

She couldn't believe no one else could feel it. She knew she was the most susceptible person in the room to this but even so…She hadn't been able to get anywhere near him with her healing powers. Robin's body was coursing with dark magic, so much that it was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. This time, there was no doubt in her mind who was behind all this. A steely resolve shot through her and she clenched her fists. No one else would suffer tonight, she promised. Not after I'm finished.

Cyborg had then rested Robin on their sofa and he lay there limply like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. She had ordered them to keep pressure on Robin's wound no matter how much he protested. Starfire had initially tried but had found it too hard when she saw the pain that flared up on his face when she touched it. Instead the grisly job was now in the compassionate hands of Kole and Jericho who were calmly ignoring their patient's weak whimpers as they stemmed his bleeding. Their faces were blank but Raven could feel how much it was paining them to do this and she forced herself to keep calm. Without Robin she knew how quickly they could all fall apart and somehow she had ended up at the helm, trying desperately to steer them from disaster.

She and Herald had got everybody back to the Tower and thankfully no one else was missing. Argent and Bumblebee had faced dozens of questions when they had got back but they had had the exact same answer-one minute Robin had been with them, the next he had gone like he had disappeared into thin air. It was only when they had heard him screaming that they had been alerted to where he was and when they had found him with everyone else, he had been exactly where they had last seen him.

Now Argent was huddled in the corner with Hotspot attempting to give her some comfort, her face buried in her knees as she sobbed. Bumblebee's response was the complete opposite; she was stalking around the room trying to keep everybody calm but was barely keeping her own fear under wraps. In a surprising twist it was now Mas y Menos trying to calm her down. They raced after her, saying reassuring words in Spanish but she still kept pacing. It was only when they blocked her path, one standing on the head of the other, did she finally allow herself to crumble, cuddling them tightly to her as they patted her gently. Speedy and Aqualad stood by each other looking like they wanted to say something but it would pain them too much. Kid Flash was helping to tend to Robin by fetching more bandages, his face as white as chalk. He had taken the place of Starfire who was now weeping onto Beast Boy as he tried to tell her everything would be alright without his own voice breaking. Raven looked at him and their eyes briefly met across the room. She looked away, fearful she might tear up and lose all pretence of being in control. What if he was the next target? She thought and her heart pounded with fear. That wouldn't happen, she wouldn't let it.

She pulled her hood up and made her way quietly to the door. She was just about to slip out when she felt a rough hand on her shoulder.

"Raven? Girl, what are you doing?" She was yanked backwards and she found herself staring defiantly into Cyborg's eyes. His robotic red eye scanned her face beadily whilst his human brown one looked into her own concerned. "Where are you going?"

"I need to go back Cyborg." She told him, pushing his arm away. "I need to finish this."

"No you do not!" He hissed back flatly so nobody else could hear. "Have you seen what happened to Robin? We can't afford any more casualties; we need you here where it is safe!"

"If I don't go, nobody will be safe for much longer!" She snapped. "I know who did this, it's staring me in the face right now and I'm the only one who can end this! You need to let me go!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dark magic. There is an overwhelming amount of dark magic in Robin right now." They both cast looks over at the sofa and saw his face was almost grey. "It won't let him heal and there's so much of it, I can't stop it with my healing powers. Unless I do this now Cyborg he will die a slow and painful death due to blood loss, I mean it. You have to let me go."

She saw the way Cyborg searched her face before looking over at Robin and regretted being so harsh with her choice of words. His face contorted with pain and he let out a sigh.

"Alright." He said. "Keep your communicator on and update me every five minutes. Any signs of trouble, anything at all, you call me. Deal?"

"Deal. Thank Cyborg." She smiled at him and presented her switched on communicator. "Don't tell anyone where I've gone. I don't want to cause a panic, OK?"

"Sure." He heaved with a worried look. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am." She answered before disappearing out of the door, hiding that she was still shaking a little. He watched her as she vanished into the dark without another word, taking up his position at the door like nothing had happened. He felt bad about letting her go but he knew what she said was right; desperate times like these called for desperate measures.

Raven arrived back at the warehouses and made her way suspiciously through the dark. Although she moved cautiously she made no effort to hide; she knew she was going to be found. The place was still eerily quiet with only the sounds of her footsteps keeping her company. The rain rapped on the metal roofs of the warehouses she passed like warnings to turn back but she kept on walking until she reached the spot where they had discovered Robin. There was still a pool of blood there that had been diluted by the rain and she grimaced at it. She threw her hood back and called out into the shadows.

"I know you are here! Show yourself!"

At first, only the rain answered her. Then she heard the deep sound of chuckling and she whipped around to face it.

"My, my, my dear." A voice purred as a figure emerged from the darkness, slowly clapping as he made his way towards her. "Aren't you the brave one, coming to save your pitiful friend?"

"Enough with the games, _Father._ " Raven said, her voice curling in disgust. "Step out of the shadows and face me or don't you want me to see the pathetic thing that you've become?"

There was a dark growl and Raven flinched. She recognised it all too well. "You dare speak to me that way?"

"I dare to speak how I please." She snapped back, sounding a lot more formidable than she felt. "You have no sway over me anymore. I do not fear you."

"Really?" The first voice murmured almost playfully as the figure fully stepped into her vision and she gasped. "Are you so sure of that?"

"No…" She whispered breathlessly as the sounds of the rain grew more distant. "It can't be…"

"Cyborg, have you seen Raven?"

Beast Boy's voice jerked Cyborg's attention away from the communicator he was holding out in front of him like an offering. He looked over at the face of his green teammate before flicking his eyes back to the screen. It had been seven minutes and fifty-one seconds since her last update and he was beginning to get seriously worried. If anything happened to her, it would all be his fault…

He looked back at Beast Boy's perplexed expression and answered quickly "Not sure bro. She's around here somewhere."

"I don't think she is." Beast Boy replied, his eyes scanning the room for the tenth time in search of her blue cloak amongst the crowd and seeing no trace of it. "I've been looking for her for the last few minutes and I can't see her."

"Maybe she's off getting more bandages for Rob." Cyborg tried to sound casual and shrugged.

"She's not, I just sent Star off to do that. She needed to do something productive so I sent her to help Kid Flash." Beast Boy looked at him and his eyes narrowed. "Is that what she told you?"

"Is that what she told me when?"

"When you guys were talking earlier. You were standing here talking to her and I haven't seen her since."

"I don't know what you mean." Cyborg said. There was still no answer from his communicator. It had been well over eight minutes. "Why, are you keeping tabs on her?"

A faint blush appeared on Beast Boy's face as he stammered slightly. "That's not the point dude, I really need to talk to her. I've been thinking-"

"Isn't that kinda dangerous for you?"

"Shut up, I'm being serious! If there is dark magic involved like she said there could be, don't you think it could affect her?"

"What do you mean BB?" Cyborg now looked really worried and was clenching his communicator tightly.

"I mean she could be the next target." He said solemnly. "If you were killing off Titans with dark magic, wouldn't it be logical to take out the one who can sense it and thus destroy your plans?"

"Yeah…Oh no. Oh shit!" Cyborg gulped in panic as the communicator in his hand started to make bleeping noises. "Her signal is going haywire…"

"Her signal? You mean on her communicator? What is going on, where is she?" Beast Boy demanded, seizing his arm and forcing him to look away from the communicator and at him.

"She's…back at the warehouses." Cyborg admitted, at a loss at what else to say. "She said she knew who's behind all this, she said she was the only one who can stop it…"

"Jesus fuck!" Beast Boy exclaimed loudly, his face going a lighter shade of green as Cyborg stared at him in shock. He usually never swore. "And you let her go! What were you thinking?!"

"She said she could stop it, I only let her because she promised to give me updates but her last one was over nine minutes ago!" Cyborg explained. Other people were turning their heads and listening to them as the volumes of their voices rose but neither of them noticed.

"No…" Beast Boy turned and stomped out of the door. Cyborg followed and yelled after him, grabbing hold of his shoulder.

"Dude, you can't go after her by yourself…"

Beast Boy spun around and faced him, his eyes burning. "I'm going and you can't stop me." He said, his voice low and dangerous. Cyborg let go and he whipped back around again, running off into the night before Cyborg could do anything else. He spoke softly into the rain heavily beating him backwards so his own words were pulled back into his ears. "I've already lost Terra. I'm not going to lose her too."

"No…" Raven repeated mindlessly as Brother Blood stood before her, grinning manically.

"What's the matter, little girl?" He sneered. "Afraid now?"

She was unable to answer as she stared at him in horror. Every shred of humanity that he had once had had been stripped away. His robotic limbs that had been shattered by Cyborg were now back together and the cracks left gleamed with black energy. He now had two sets of eyes that all glowed dark red and his grey hair was now white and fell long and bedraggled onto his metal-plated shoulders. The skin on his face was now blood red and she could see one long white fang protruding from his mouth that almost reached his chin. The second deep voice of the demon king hissed from that corner as the mouth ripped into a sinister smile. "My dear…"

Raven dragged her eyes away and saw black was encasing the air around them, trapping her. "How did…how did you ally yourself with my father?" She asked, taking a step back from him and surging her own power to her hands, making them glow.

"Easily." He answered in his smooth voice that made her shudder. "He needed a body from which he could gain power and I wanted revenge on the Teen Titans."

"So you allowed him to possess you?" Raven said.

"He has given me power beyond anything I could dream of." He answered slickly. "In return, he is my Master and I do his bidding to make him strong again."

"So you've gone from being a headmaster to having a master in your head?" Raven retorted. "Sounds like a step down to me."

"That is because you are insolent and foolish!" Trigon's voice spat as it took control of Brother Blood's mouth, making it shift into a new shape that was disturbing. "You won't be so rash once I have all my power back! Then you will never be able to defeat me!"

"Is that why you attacked my friends?" She said, her eyes glowering at him. "How would that get your powers back?"

"My Master needed to feed," Brother Blood's voice returned and his mouth shifted again as he spoke. "Feed on the evil lurking within people. It was the perfect combination; he got to feed and recover and I got my revenge."

"So why them? Why those particular Titans?" She asked. She could feel the darkness was closing in and she could no longer feel or hear the rain. Her communicator was buzzing on her belt as it tried to regain signal but she knew it would never find any. Nobody was going to come and save her now.

"Those Titans were ones who had turned their backs on evil. They had it all festering inside them and it would have been such a waste to let it stay there." Brother Blood laughed hollowly and his voice echoed with another of Trigon's growls. "The young girl you call Terra was easy pickings after she betrayed Slade. It was easy to lure her away from that petty excuse of a life she lived. She only served to whet my Master's appetite anyway."

Raven felt sick at the mention of Terra's name. She couldn't bear to think of how her last moments had been as a plaything to this monstrosity. "Then you targeted Jinx and Robin? Why?" She called out, keeping them talking although she didn't know why. Maybe somewhere in her she hoped help would come, she thought as she clenched her fists tighter. If it was coming it had to come soon…

"Jinx was a little indulgence my Master allowed me to have." Brother Blood went on, crossing his metallic clawed fingers as he smiled with satisfaction. "She deserved it-throwing away all I taught her for that stupid boy…still she had a good amount of evil in her. She was one of my best students after all. If you hadn't shown up, she would be dead. As for Robin, there was so much darkness in his soul it was really a shame he didn't follow it. There was so much there to feed on…" He paused before his red eyes flashed and locked onto her eyes as he took a step towards her. "But you…you the daughter of evil incarnate…you will be plenty."

"Don't take another step." She warned him but he ignored her, getting closer and closer as his grin spread, appearing to crack his face in two. His aura of dark magic was so strong she felt like she was choking on it. She raised her arms to fight but they felt like they weighed more than a ton and she could only move them sluggishly around like she was wading in water. The magic fizzled out of her fingers as he stood in front of her and she could only rasp as the clawed fingers tightened around her throat, lifting her off her feet. She kicked about, trying to find the ground but her legs suddenly were pinned together and she couldn't move.

"So perfect," Brother Blood drawled as he ran a thumb over her cheekbone, drawing a little blood from the scratch the point made. She could feel the skin on her throat stretching as he grinned at her evilly. "Our next target, walking straight into our trap…soon, my Master, you will be more powerful than you could ever imagine… then we will march on her friends and destroy them all. I'm particularly looking forward to taking your friend Cyborg apart, limb by limb…"

"Raven!"

Suddenly Brother Blood was bowled over and Raven was knocked to the ground. The black around her reverted back into the regular shadows as her trance was broken and she sat up sharply, now able to use her limbs again. She looked over and saw Brother Blood was being pinned to the floor by a huge green tiger who was lashing out at him with his jaws and growling inches from his face.

"Beast Boy!" She warned him as a surge of black energy sent him flying into the air before he crash-landed next to her. He switched back to his human self and crawled over to her, taking her face in his hands.

"Raven! Are you hurt?" He said in a panic before he noticed the scratch on her cheek and the beads of blood forming on her throat where tiny rips had been made in her grey skin. She heard him snarl with anger as he scowled and stood back up to face Brother Blood.

"You will pay for that!" He shouted as he transformed into a gorilla and lunged for him. Brother Blood stood there as he got closer before holding out one arm and shooting out more cackling black energy, sending him hurling backwards into a wall with a loud smash.

"No!" Raven screamed as she stood up weakly and used her magic to pick up some crates that she fired at him ferociously. Brother Blood sneered as he deflected them easily, making them explode into wooden fireworks as he advanced on her.

"There's no use fighting." He jeered as he got closer. She could hear Trigon's laughter ringing in her skull and draining her strength. She sank to her knees as Beast Boy tried to get to her but he was held off by Brother Blood's power holding him against the wall. "Neither you nor this boy have the strength to defeat me-"

A flash of bright blue sent him sprawling backwards again as a loud crashing sound filled the air. Raven and Beast Boy turned around to see Cyborg standing there, his sonic cannon outstretched and steaming and a stern determined look on his face. "Brother Blood." He said stonily as he walked towards them. Beast Boy ran over to Raven and pulled her up, linking her arm over his shoulders as she tried to balance. "What disgusting hole did you crawl back from?"

"Cyborg." Brother Blood hissed in pleasure as he got back to his feet. "How lovely of you to show up." They all heard the sound of Trigon snarling and Cyborg turned to Raven.

"Is that your old man in there?" He asked, jabbing over at him with his thumb as she nodded. He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "Figures."

"Enough with this nonsense!" Trigon's voice boomed. "Even with the robot, you still cannot defeat me!"

"You're right." Cyborg said. "But I think all of us stand a pretty good chance."

There was a rustling of footsteps as all of the Titans suddenly appeared behind them, all with steely looks on their faces. Brother Blood gaped as they sprang up all around him, dozens of pairs of angry eyes staring at him, the man who had taken their friends away. He spun around like a lost child, looking for an exit but there was none to be found.

"It's over Blood." Cyborg told him, stilling pointing his cannon at him. "You might as well give up, you can't win now."

Brother Blood turned his gaze back on Cyborg and another evil smile spread across his face. "That's what you think." He said as he drew black energy up all around him, all his eyes glowing dark red. "You will be singing a different tune when my Master has all his power back! You will tremble before us!"

"Not gonna happen!" Cyborg retorted with glee. "Everyone?"

"TITANS GO!" They all cried as they swooped into battle. They all attacked at the same time, leaping from their positions with great force. Despite their furious attack, Brother Blood had put up a shield around himself and was firing his magic in all directions, making it difficult to get anywhere near him. They all ducked and dived, launching their own powerful attacks on the shield but it refused to break. Several Titans got close, Gnarrk welding a crystallised Kole like a sword, Bumblebee firing her stingers and Kid Flash running at him with a battle cry, but they all got pushed back by the dark magic it emitted. Still they kept doggedly trying; they were all fuelled with anger and were determined that he wouldn't leave this place a free man.

Aqualad swerved around him, his fists holding bubbles of water he had pulled from the rain outside. He charged, shooting them at him but was hit and forced back into the wall. He saw Brother Blood grinning at him as he readied another burst of energy and he held his arms up to shield himself. He heard it go off and yelled but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and lowered his arms to see Speedy standing in front of him, his bow outstretched from just firing an arrow and a furious look on his face.

"Nobody touches my boyfriend!" He yelled before running around him and shooting more arrows that exploded and lit up the air with bright flashes of light. Aqualad turned to see Bumblebee flying a little distance away, staring at him with her jaw hanging open. Aqualad went red and gave her a little smile and a shrug. "I can explain…"

Raven could see Brother Blood was getting weaker and weaker with every attack and she moved to deliver one herself but abruptly Beast Boy gripped her arm and pulled her backwards. "What are you doing?" He said to him as she struggled against his tight grip. "Let me go!"

"No, Raven!" He forced her to look at him and she stilled for a moment, transfixed by the stern look on his face. "Listen to me. If he gets hold of you and drains you of your life, we will be lost...he would be too strong." He took her hand and the connection between them shot through both of them like an electric shock. "I'm not going to lose you Rae, I couldn't take it!"

"Beast Boy…" She murmured astonished as they stared into each other's eyes like they were making a pact. Then a branch of the dark energy shot out and clamped around her waist, fixing her arms to her sides as it pulled her into the black force field.

"No! Raven!" Beast Boy tried to pull her back but it was too strong and it sent him crashing to the floor. "Everybody stop!"

Everybody stopped attacking as Raven was dragged into the shield with Brother Blood before resuming in panic. She fought against the magical binds as the world around them started to spin and turn black but she was growing weaker again.

"No, I will not let you take me!" She shouted but Brother Blood had already taken hold of her throat which she could feel was tightening as his fingers dug into her skin.

"There will be no escape for you this time…" Both he and Trigon said, their voices blending into each other as they drilled into her mind. "No escape…"

"No…" Raven shut her eyes to shut out their leering faces and tried to concentrate on her magic. If I can just find something… she thought desperately as she steadied her breathing. Something positive, something good… Her mind tried to conjure up the image of Azareth but the pain made it impossible. Her ears picked up the distant sounds of yelling and she recognised the voice. Beast Boy…she thought as it grew louder and stronger in her mind filling her with a rush of emotion she had spent so long battling with. I never got to tell you how much I…

A scream and a shattering sound punctured her thoughts as she was heavily thrown to the floor. She spluttered for air and opened her eyes weakly to see the force field had blown up and Brother Blood was lying a few metres away from her, trying to get up but failing. She moved her arm but her head felt dazed and her vision blurred a little. She watched as her friends all advanced on Brother Blood as he shakily got to his feet.

"You…fools…" He coughed out. "You…will…never…"

"Enough Blood." Cyborg stepped forwards. "It's over."

"No, it's not!" Trigon's voice bellowed. Black started to spin around them all and Raven called out to them to run but her weak voice was quickly lost. "I will never be defeated! Your puny friends never deserved their powers!"

"What they didn't deserve was what you put them through!" Cyborg shouted. "And they didn't deserve to die at your hands! This is for Robin!" He shot his sonic cannon and hit him in the chest, making them both howl and stagger backwards.

"This is for Jinx!" Kid Flash came forwards and pounded him in his eyes. The black around them span faster and faster as the great demon king started to lose control.

"And this is for Terra!" Beast Boy lastly cried out, transforming back into a gorilla and punching him into the wall with both his fists and all his might. There was a great scream of agony and the sound of an explosion before the blackness stopped swirling. There was a moment of silence as they all held their breath. The sound of rain tinkling on the roof marked the silence. Raven caught a glimpse of the crumpled body on the floor as they all walked away. Brother Blood's mangled limbs had now fallen apart again into crumpled metal flakes and his skin was no longer red. He looked like a sad old beggar, his eyes staring straight ahead of him at nothing.

"Raven!" Beast Boy ran over to her and collapsed by her side. He lifted her head towards his and his other hand returned to her cheek to briefly touch the mark left on it. She looked up wearily and focused on his peridot eyes as her strength slowly returned.

"Beast Boy…what happened?"

"You took him down, that's what happened!" He said, smiling at her like he couldn't believe she was there in his arms. "It was amazing, he had you in his grasp and then there was this flash of white light and the thing he made was broken…" His voice trailed away and she realised he was crying. "I thought you were going to die and it would be all my fault for distracting you, for not getting here fast enough…"

"Nothing was your fault." She interrupted him, placing her fingers softly over his mouth. "You saved me Beast Boy…you came and found me here and…the only reason I was able to do that was…because I was thinking of you."

"Rav-" Beast Boy started to say before Raven lifted her head and stopped him with a kiss. For a second he sat there stunned before he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her deeper into the kiss. She brought her hands to his face and found their tears were mingling on their cheeks.

The rest of the Titans awkwardly looked away and started dealing with Brother Blood. "Did anyone else see that coming?" Cyborg whispered and several people shrugged, equally confused. "Hey, has anyone seen Star?"

"She stayed behind with Robin. I think she said his wounds were still bleeding…" Bumblebee replied as Cyborg's communicator started bleeping. He picked it up and Starfire's beaming face appeared on the screen.

"Friends! I have the most joyous of news!" She cried out. Cyborg could see traces of tears on her cheeks as she brushed them away. "Our friends have awoken! Robin's wounds have stopped the bleeding and they are both awake!"

"Hey guys." The screen was shakily moved and they saw Robin sitting up on the sofa, his torso crossed with white bandages and his hair even spikier than usual. He looked paler than normal and he was obvious he was still weak from the amount of blood he had lost but he gave them a wave and he had a rare grin on his face. Sitting next to him was Jinx who also waved at them with a tired smile.

"Jinx?" Kid Flash looked over Cyborg's shoulder and pure joy spread across his face. He sped away and within seconds he flew onto the screen of the communicator, engulfing Jinx in an embrace with his face buried in her neck. She stood up and the pair of them clung to each other like they were never going to let go. Cyborg could hear them murmuring something to each other and smiled indulgently, his smile growing when Starfire reappeared. She put her arm around Robin and he pulled her towards him, wiping away the tears of happiness that kept pouring from her eyes.

"Alright guys, we're just cleaning up here then we'll be back. Cyborg out." He shut the communicator and started giving orders as Raven and Beast Boy carried on behind him, oblivious to the world.

"Jesus, how soppy can you get?" Speedy said under his breath, not realising Aqualad was sliding towards him and overheard.

"Yeah I know. Who would possibly do a thing like that?" He said sarcastically as their hands wove into each other. Behind them, Bumblebee and Cyborg's eyes went wide and they looked at each other whilst silently pointing.

"OK," Cyborg whispered, even more quietly than before. "Did anyone else see _that_ coming?"

Epilogue

It took a while for the team to get back to normal and even once that had happened, some things were never the same. Starfire couldn't look at the sofa without seeing Robin's blood on it so it was replaced, Raven couldn't enter the medical ward without shivering, nobody went alone to the warehouse district. Life went on and the city still needed saving but this case had been one nobody could forget.

Jinx and Robin told their stories in full to everyone the following morning. They had shared the same experience-hearing a noise, the world going black, being frozen as they were torn apart. Raven found that it had been the dark magic left behind trapping them both in comas and if Brother Blood hadn't been defeated they might have never woken up. Both of them had been reluctant to show their scars, particularly to their loved ones. A few nights after waking up, when Jinx finally allowed Kid Flash to see the long lines that marked her skin, she had closed her eyes and turned away, not wanting to see his reaction. She had been amazed when he had laid a trail of kisses along them, from her stomach to her throat, not missing an inch of the puckered skin. She had then burst into tears and he had held her, fighting back his own at the realisation of how close they had been to losing each other. Robin had held out for almost two weeks longer, telling Starfire that they didn't matter, they were only scars after all. It was only when she did see them, one night on the roof as they stood there in the moonlight, that she saw on his face how much they did matter. Her only response had been to hug him and he realised that was the only response he had needed.

Speedy and Aqualad came out about their relationship not long afterwards to much rejoicing from everyone even though a few women had complained about all the good ones being 'that way.' Beast Boy and Raven also no longer made their attraction to each other a secret and Cyborg was known to comment on how he had thought Robin and Starfire were bad but now he knew better. Nobody really cared though-just seeing Raven happier than she had ever been well made up for the constant make-out sessions in the living room and the awkward encounters with Beast Boy in the corridors early in the morning.

Terra's funeral was held on the island not long after the defeat of her killers. The girl who had considered herself so lonely and isolated in life now had more people at her funeral than she could have ever imagined. Beast Boy and Raven aced as chief mourners, Beast Boy allowing himself to let his first love go and Raven finally able to forgive her. She was laid to rest in a tomb of rocks with a new statue on top. There was also a new inscription which read

Terra

A Teen Titan

A true friend

Sadly taken from us before her time

You will be missed more than you will ever know

 _Ok I'm done! Thank you so much everybody, I hope this was worth the wait and the read. Sorry this took so long, I wanted to get it just right (and also work got in the way a bit as well). Please leave a review to tell me what you think. I adored writing this so I hope you all adored it too. CursedRedRose out_


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